The switch from Michelin to Pirelli tyres is arguably one of the biggest changes in MotoGP for the 2027 season. So far, there have been two official test days, held behind closed doors at Brno and Spielberg respectively on the Monday after the respective race weekends.
Some of the full-time riders were able to test the new 850cc prototypes on Pirelli tyres at those tests. But many riders will have to wait until the post-season test in Valencia on 1 December before they are allowed to ride the new bikes.
That group includes Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, Ai Ogura, Alex Marquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio and rookies Daniel Holgado and David Alonso.
Because of the weather, the Valencia test will primarily serve as an opportunity for the numerous riders changing teams to get acquainted with their new engineers and adjust their riding position.
Testing has also been cut by one day for the new season. Full-time riders will have just two days instead of three at Sepang, followed by another two test days in Buriram.
Before the official Sepang test, there will be two shakedown days in which test riders and rookies are allowed to participate, so gain two additional days of testing to prepare for the premier class.
One rider who has been the subject of considerable discussion in the paddock recently is Nicolo Bulega. The Italian has already ridden Ducati's 850cc bike on Pirelli tyres for 10 days of private testing and therefore has a significant experience advantage over everyone else.
Bulega will also be allowed to take part in the two-day Sepang shakedown at the end of January, meaning he will have vastly more testing time with the new prototypes at his disposal than any other rider.
Espargaro sees massive advantage for Bulega
Two private test days were held at Mugello between the races in Misano and Spielberg. Bulega was joined by Pol Espargaro, who was testing the new 850cc KTM. He believes Bulega's extensive testing programme is unfair.
"Crazy. It's absolutely crazy. And I would also say unfair, because he's going to be a permanent rider next year with the amount of kilometres," said the KTM test rider.
"He's doing [building] this bike around him, it's going to be perfect for him. He's going to know the bike perfectly. He's going to know the tyres perfectly. He's going to have the two more extra days in shakedown.
"So the amount of experience and speed he's going to have is going to be insane.
"I feel unfair also for the riders that go from Moto2 to MotoGP compared to the MotoGP riders that are going to stay.
"If I would be racing, I would have a lot of advantage to the guys. Imagine Bulega that came from a championship that the bike is pretty similar to the next year MotoGP, which is superbike. And with his experience and testing so much, I feel like he's going to smash everyone."
He added: "So imagine [Bulega] going to places that actually he has ridden on, he has information - which are a lot.
"He's done Mugello, sure he's going to be Jerez, he's going to be at Misano. F***, he has a lot of experience.
"And the guy is fast. It's not myself that I'm on the retirement line, you know. It's a guy that is on his prime level.
"So, it's going to be also a good help for the guys in Ducati. For Marc, Pedro, that they are going to have a bike ready. And a guy that put the bike on the limit straight away in the first race."
Marquez and Acosta also have Bulega in mind
Marc Marquez and his future Ducati team-mate Pedro Acosta have also identified Bulega, who will race for VR46 next year, as a rider to watch for these reasons. Asked who will be the most interesting new rider, both gave the same answer.
"For me, it is Bulega," said Marquez. "He's testing already, he knows the tyres and he will be, I believe that he will be fast. He's a very good rider.
"For me, like Marc said, Bulega's will be a nice move. Also, everyone who is moving from Moto2 will be a nice surprise, let's see how they manage the tyres."
Riders denied testing see themselves at a disadvantage
The riders who will only be able to test an 850cc bike on Pirelli tyres for the first time on 1 December have mixed feelings about the situation. It is clear that having so few test days before the start of the season is a disadvantage.
"What's happening is not a thing that I'm happy with," Fabio Di Giannantonio said. "We will have just four days to understand the new bike, new tyres and in, my case, a new team.
"I know also that Fabio Quartararo said for him it would be alright to have only four days on the bike but I think you have to be really lucky in four days to find the perfect set-up, the perfect balance or perfect everything to be able to win the first race.
"At the moment, Bulega is the guy with the most experience on the new bike. Now more riders will try the new bike so they will have some more advantages too.
"But on my side, I would like to have more time to be as ready as I can for the first race, so at the moment I think the things are not going quite equally for everybody."
Di Giannantonio is not alone in holding that view in the paddock. However, his future KTM team-mate Alex Marquez puts it into perspective: "Apart from Nicolo, the other ones will not have a big advantage.
"It's like just two days, one in Brno and one here [in Austria for other race riders]. And maybe even the tyres will not be the same ones because I think Pirellis is changing the tyres every day. The first one that you try, to the ones that we have in Thailand, could be completely different.
"So just Nicolo [will have an advantage]. It's true that he will have a lot of info in the first days in the first races because [he will have done] of a lot of kilometres
"I prefer to not try the bike or the tyres because in Thailand you don't get confused with the Michelin and our bikes. Let them do the work.
"I also believe in the test riders that KTM have, they are really fast, Dani [Pedrosa] and Pol [Espargaro]. For sure, they are doing good work."
Acosta tests KTM in Spielberg, Bastianini does not
Some current 1,000cc bikes fitted with Pirelli tyres were also used at the latest Monday test in Spielberg. They had been modified to simulate the performance level of the 850cc bikes.
Some riders who are switching teams next year would have liked to ride a 1,000cc bike on Pirelli tyres to get an initial feel for the tyres. Quartararo publicly criticised Yamaha after it did not allow him to do so.
Enea Bastianini, who is moving to Trackhouse Aprilia, also believes that such a test day with a 1,000cc bike and Pirelli tyres should have been mandatory for all riders.
"I tried to negotiate with KTM to see if it was possible to try the bikes, but at the end they told me no," Bastianini said. "It was better for everybody to try the Pirelli before arriving in Valencia. It was better to be mandatory for everybody.
"Just in one day [at Valencia] it will be very complicated to think about how the future will be with the Pirelli.
"I know that there are some riders with an advantage, like the Moto2 riders. And also Nicolo coming from superbike to MotoGP.
"I think will be not a very big problem for the first race. But it was better to have the chance to try it before. I don't know why the organiser from that didn't think about the test. Like, 'OK, all the riders need to test the Pirelli.'"
