Agueda, Portugal welcomes Honda HRC PETRONAS for the 10th round of the 2026 MXGP World Championship, where hopefully the beautiful circuit will avoid the rain that has plagued previous iterations of this event.

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After his victory in Montevarchi, Italy last time out, Jeffrey Herlings is motivated to win again, at a track he has won at five times previously. The Dutchman made it 116 GP wins at the weekend, and he also took a small bite out of the championship deficit he faces, so he’d love to continue that momentum on the Iberian Peninsula.

And after a home GP for Valerio Lata last weekend, it is the turn of Ruben Fernandez to enjoy the benefits of the local support, as the Spaniard leaves near to the track and has raced in his neighbouring country his entire career. A nasty crash in Montevarchi left him fighting to be fit enough to race, but he fought through both motos and now has a few days to recover before his favourite GP of the year.

Things didn’t go entirely to plan for Lata either in Italy, but he knows that Agueda is a good track and if we don’t get such heavy rainfall, it is a fun track for all the riders.

That includes Tom Vialle, who returned to action last weekend, with impressive results. His starts were excellent and his speed was good for 99% of the racing, but a couple of small mistakes cost him some points. If it wasn’t for that though, he would have been just off the podium, which after missing a couple of rounds is an excellent return. Now, having shaken off the rust, he can really attack at a track he has won at previously.

Portugal marks the start of the second half of the calendar, and the second in another triple-header for the riders. With barely any time-off between now and the end of the season, they all know that this is a hectic part of the season, but one they are all motivated to do well at.

Rubén Fernández 70Honda HRC PETRONAS
My favourite GP of the year and although I’m not in peak condition, it is still going to be a fun one. All my friends and family are making the trip, so I’ll have a lot of support and the crowd really get behind me as well, so it is just an enjoyable race for me. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, and instead just try to have fun out there.

Tom Vialle 16Honda HRC PETRONAS
Italy was a tough race to comeback for, just because the racing was so intense all the time. There was never a moment to rest or relax so that was tough, but overall it was a good one and I’m glad to have done it and just get the race feeling back. I have won in Portugal before, so I know I can go fast here, and I think if I can get two good starts, I have will be able to run the pace and do even better than in Italy.

Jeffrey Herlings 84Honda HRC PETRONAS
While I wouldn’t say I enjoyed Montevarchi, it was good to get the win and just reset the mood a bit. I think Agueda is a much nicer track, and hopefully this year we might actually get some good weather because it’s a fun track when it hasn’t had monsoon rain like in the last couple of years. As always, I’m going out there to win and I think it showed in Italy that we are continuing to work hard to make that happen each time we get to a track.

Valerio Lata 18Honda HRC PETRONAS
I wouldn’t say it was the best home GP for me. Saturday was going well until it wasn’t and that made Sunday more difficult. I showed my speed in places, but overall I need to be further forward. I didn’t have the best time in Portugal last year, but hopefully it won’t rain this time around!

Marcus Pereira de Freitas -Honda HRC PETRONAS
The team are definitely in better spirits after Italy, even though it was a very difficult weekend due to the facility and the weather. All our guys showed real determination to try and get the best results possible, which is what we ask of them, and I think Portugal will now be a better experience. The forecast is looking like it might be okay, for the first time in a few years, so I think we will see a great version of Agueda this weekend.