Manuel Gonzalez makes 2026 decision after MotoGP doors close
Manuel Gonzalez has re-signed with the IntactGP Moto2 team for the 2026 season.
Current Moto2 championship leader Manuel Gonzalez has been confirmed to be staying at the IntactGP Moto2 team in 2026.
Gonzalez joined the German outfit for the 2025 Moto2 season after spending two seasons at Gresini.
Four times a race winner in 2025, the Spaniard carries a 25-point lead over Aron Canet into this weekend’s (5–7 September) Catalan Grand Prix, the 15th round of the season, as well as a new one-year extension with IntactGP.
“This year has been amazing so far, fighting for wins and podiums, leading the championship,” Gonzalez said.
“I’m super excited to continue working with this team. It has been a really good journey and we will keep pushing our 100 per cent one more year.”
Gonzalez had been linked with a move to MotoGP earlier in the year after testing the Trackhouse Aprilia at the post-race test in Aragon.
The rumours died down in the middle of the first part of the season, but after Diogo Moreira reportedly chose Honda for his 2026 step-up to the premier class of grand prix racing, Gonzalez became linked with the Pramac Yamaha team to partner Toprak Razgatlioglu.
However, Pramac and Yamaha have instead decided to stick with Jack Miller for 2026, leaving Gonzalez with no options to move to MotoGP.
Gonzalez’ announcement comes after the aforementioned Canet was confirmed as a Marc VDS rider for the 2026 Moto2 season during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend in August.
Should Gonzalez win this year’s Moto2 title, he will become the first rider since Johann Zarco in 2016 to launch a title defence campaign in the intermediate grand prix category.
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Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
