The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back on track at the Chang International Circuit to kick off the 2026 MotoGP season, which gets underway this weekend with the Thailand GP.
The MotoGP winter break is over and the Thailand GP will be the opening race weekend of the 2026 season: the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will hit the track with confidence after the positive winter test with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, completed just a few days ago right in Buriram.
After a solid winter break and encouraging winter test, Di Giannantonio is eager to get the season underway again: on his Ducati Desmosedici GP, Fabio has shown consistency and competitiveness since the very first test in Malaysia, confirming his positive feelings in Buriram as well. At this circuit – where won in 2018 (Moto3) – the rider from Rome is ready for the first race weekend of 2026, marking his third consecutive year with the team.
Morbidelli is preparing to start his second season with the team following an intense winter. The pre-season tests gave him confidence and proved solidity and progress, session after session. Franco started to get familiar with the new package during the Sepang test, continuing the work in Buriram: at this track, where he narrowly missed the podium in 2025 and where he got a fourth place as his best result, the Italian-Brazilian rider confirmed the positive feeling with his bike during the latest test.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will go on track on Friday for the first free practice sessions. Qualifying will take place on Saturday starting at 10:50 (local time, +6 CET), followed by the Sprint at 15:00 (local time). The Thailand GP will conclude with Sunday’s race, which will start at 15:00 (local time).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“After five days of winter testing, the season is finally getting underway! We’re back on track for the first race weekend and I’m really happy to start from the Thailand GP! We arrive at the first weekend of the year with many clear ideas; we feel confident and in great shape with the team. The tests were very positive, perhaps the hardest of my career, but I’m very pleased with how they went and with the solutions we tried. We have a great team and the best bike on the grid – I’m fully convinced that we can do a great job with the package we have. The goal for the weekend will be to enjoy, push hard and do an excellent job.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“I’m very happy to start the season again, and doing it in Thailand will be great. We finished the winter tests here, where we understood many things about the new bike. Overall, the preseason was very positive and I’m ready for the start of 2026. We feel competitive for this first race weekend – we can have our chance. We’ve shown that we’re fast; we’re right there. The goal will be to confirm the good feelings from testing during the race weekend as well. We’re ready!”
