Following a challenging weekend in Qatar — where both Miller and Fernandez were forced to retire after early-race crashes — the team is eager to reset and regroup for Round 5 at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. Unfortunately, Miguel Oliveira remains sidelined after sustaining a sternoclavicular dislocation during the Sprint Race in Argentina. Despite his determination to return and the progress made through intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation work with his medical team, the Portuguese rider has not yet been cleared to compete. Once again, Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Rider Augusto Fernandez will take over Oliveira’s seat on the YZR-M1, as he did in Austin and Lusail.
The Spanish GP marks the beginning of the European leg of the season, following early races in Asia (Thailand and Qatar), North America (USA), and South America (Argentina). Historically, many riders have viewed the Jerez round as the "real start" of the championship, as the diversity of the opening circuits gives way to more consistent, familiar terrain.
Jerez (4.423 m) features a layout without extremely long straights and offers a wide variety of corners, from fast curves to tight hairpins that demand quick acceleration. This means outright engine power takes a backseat to agility and cornering performance — traits that play to Yamaha’s strengths. The Iwata engineers also benefits from past test data gathered at this track, providing a solid foundation for optimizing the bike’s setup. Now four races into the season, the crew from Yamaha’s newly established second factory team have also gained much deeper insights — not only into the bike itself but also into the specific needs of their riders — which will help them extract the full competitive potential of the M1.
For Jack Miller, Jerez has been a successful hunting ground in the past, with a victory in 2021, a podium in 2023, and additional fourth-place finishes in 2014 (Moto3) and 2020 (MotoGP). He also claimed a Moto3 pole position at the circuit in 2014 and secured front-row starts in MotoGP in both 2021 (3rd) and 2023 (2nd). The Australian is determined to bounce back from his Qatar disappointment with a strong showing.
Augusto Fernandez also has positive memories from Jerez, having taken third place in both qualifying and the race during his Moto2 debut at the track in 2019, followed by a fourth-place finish in 2022.
After four rounds, Miller currently sits 15th in the championship standings with 19 points, while Fernandez holds 20th with 3 points.
Spanish GP MotoGP Schedule: Friday 10.45 Free Practice 1, 15.00 Practice Saturday: 10.10 Free Practice 2, 10.50 Qualifying, 15.00 Sprint Race (12 laps) Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up, 14.00 Race (25 laps)
Following a challenging weekend in Qatar — where both Miller and Fernandez were forced to retire after early-race crashes — the team is eager to reset and regroup for Round 5 at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. Unfortunately, Miguel Oliveira remains sidelined after sustaining a sternoclavicular dislocation during the Sprint Race in Argentina. Despite his determination to return and the progress made through intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation work with his medical team, the Portuguese rider has not yet been cleared to compete. Once again, Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Rider Augusto Fernandez will take over Oliveira’s seat on the YZR-M1, as he did in Austin and Lusail.
The Spanish GP marks the beginning of the European leg of the season, following early races in Asia (Thailand and Qatar), North America (USA), and South America (Argentina). Historically, many riders have viewed the Jerez round as the "real start" of the championship, as the diversity of the opening circuits gives way to more consistent, familiar terrain.
Jerez (4.423 m) features a layout without extremely long straights and offers a wide variety of corners, from fast curves to tight hairpins that demand quick acceleration. This means outright engine power takes a backseat to agility and cornering performance — traits that play to Yamaha’s strengths. The Iwata engineers also benefits from past test data gathered at this track, providing a solid foundation for optimizing the bike’s setup. Now four races into the season, the crew from Yamaha’s newly established second factory team have also gained much deeper insights — not only into the bike itself but also into the specific needs of their riders — which will help them extract the full competitive potential of the M1.
For Jack Miller, Jerez has been a successful hunting ground in the past, with a victory in 2021, a podium in 2023, and additional fourth-place finishes in 2014 (Moto3) and 2020 (MotoGP). He also claimed a Moto3 pole position at the circuit in 2014 and secured front-row starts in MotoGP in both 2021 (3rd) and 2023 (2nd). The Australian is determined to bounce back from his Qatar disappointment with a strong showing.
Augusto Fernandez also has positive memories from Jerez, having taken third place in both qualifying and the race during his Moto2 debut at the track in 2019, followed by a fourth-place finish in 2022.
After four rounds, Miller currently sits 15th in the championship standings with 19 points, while Fernandez holds 20th with 3 points.
Spanish GP MotoGP Schedule:
Friday 10.45 Free Practice 1, 15.00 Practice
Saturday: 10.10 Free Practice 2, 10.50 Qualifying, 15.00 Sprint Race (12 laps)
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up, 14.00 Race (25 laps)