Jack Miller took part in the MotoGP testing sessions at Sepang, finishing as the fourth fastest rider in the morning and 14th in the afternoon, resulting in an overall 14th place for Pramac. The Australian’s best lap time was a 1:58.252, set in the first session, which put him just 0.358 seconds behind Alex Marquez, who recorded a 1:57.487 on his Ducati Desmosedici GP26. Neither rider improved their times during the second session. Miller, who had struggled with front-end feel during 2025, showed renewed optimism with Yamaha’s new bike for 2026.
It was a busy but decent day,
said Miller after completing 48 laps.
We tried a lot of different set-ups, mainly to understand the positives and negatives of each change and how everything works together — a real cause-and-effect approach.
Miller added that the team also experimented with different electronic settings throughout the day. Improving the basic package remains a work in progress, but so far the new Yamaha feels promising.
It feels like a completely new bike, yet still very much a Yamaha. It hasn‘t lost the M1‘s turning ability and the front-end feel is pretty bloody good.
There‘s always room to improve, but at this stage it‘s already impressive.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s Debut in MotoGP Testing
Pramac’s new rider, Toprak Razgatlioglu, made his first significant appearance in MotoGP testing on the same day. The former WorldSBK champion clocked a 1:58.887 in the opening session to be 14th fastest but dropped to 21st with a 2:00.596 later in the day. Overall, Razgatlioglu was nearly 1.9 seconds behind Marc Marquez’s top lap, placing 20th among the 23 riders.
As he transitions from WorldSBK to MotoGP, Razgatlioglu concentrated on adapting to new riding dynamics.
Today I focused mainly on seat position, because in terms of feeling this is still the area that feels most different from what I was used to,
he explained. He noted improvements after trying a higher seat, which helped smooth out braking, increase rear control, and boost confidence on acceleration through corners.
Tomorrow I may focus more on the handlebar, which still feel a little high at the moment.
That‘s what testing is for — understanding whether I can get the right feeling from set-ups I‘m used to, or if I need to adapt my riding style to better match this bike.
Progress and Outlook for Yamaha in the 2026 Season
This testing phase at Sepang highlights Yamaha’s strides in improving the M1 for 2026, with Miller’s positive feedback indicating promising progress on addressing previous handling concerns. The team’s approach to experimenting with various settings and electronics during the sessions will likely continue as they refine the bike’s package.
With Razgatlioglu beginning to adjust to MotoGP’s demands, the combined efforts of both riders and Pramac will be essential in pushing Yamaha’s competitiveness forward. As testing continues, further developments are expected that could significantly impact Yamaha’s performance in the upcoming season.
