One Moto2 title hopeful will miss MotoGP in 2026 - but that’s not a bad thing

Moto2 championship leader Manu Gonzalez will stay in the series for 2026 following links in the summer to a MotoGP step, though Johann Zarco sees the positives in this.

As Pramac Yamaha delayed its decision on who would join Toprak Razgatlioglu for next year, current Moto2 points leader Manu Gonzalez’s name became linked to the ride.

Ultimately, Pramac elected to sign Jack Miller instead while Gonzalez penned a new deal with IntactGP to remain Moto2 for the 2026 season.

While Spain has had no shortage of riders going all the way to the premier class, this has actually made it harder for young competitors to get their big break.

Sergio Garcia found himself in this situation last year, where a MotoGP step with Pramac was on the cards but didn’t materialise. At the time, it was widely reported that his passport was the biggest barrier for him.

When this opportunity passed, his season nosedived, before Garcia found himself without a ride midway through the current Moto2 campaign.

Gonzalez has a 39-point lead over MotoGP-bound Diogo Moreira after 16 rounds and could well face next year in Moto2 as a defending class champion.

He would be the first champion in Moto2 since Johann Zarco to not advance to the premier class the following year.

Zarco was Moto2 champion in 2015, before adding a second crown in 2016. In 2017, he moved up to MotoGP with Tech3 Yamaha.

The double MotoGP race winner - now with LCR Honda - recognises the difficulty Gonzalez faces in emerging as the best Spaniard in an oversaturated market.

However, he believes there is merit to spending another year in Moto2 based on how the Frenchman felt it benefitted him almost a decade ago.

“Also this is not easy for a Spanish rider to perform in Moto2 and don’t have good possibilities to go in MotoGP, because there are many good Spanish riders,” he said.

“But if he can fight for the title and get the title this year, and then repeat it next year, if he can take the positives of it and still work on himself to keep growing up personally, then he can become very strong.

“That’s what I did in 2016. I didn’t care too much about the fame that you can gain in MotoGP, because I was not conscious that in MotoGP you can gain money and fame.

“So, I was out of this and I was just focused on trying to do well.

“And I learned so much in my second title because it was not easy to win it, and then from this I arrived to MotoGP so strong.”