Sylvain Guintoli’s 2026 plans: Retire? “It’s the best job in the world!”

Sylvain Guintoli insists retirement isn’t on his mind as he weighs up a variety of options for 2026, declaring: “I absolutely love racing, it’s the best job in the world!”

The former grand prix rider and 2014 World Superbike champion has combined factory BMW WorldSBK testing and World Endurance duties with his role as a TNT Sports MotoGP pundit.

Guintoli believes all three avenues - testing, racing and TV - complement each other, but made clear that his passion for competition is undiminished.

“I heard some rumours I was going to retire, but I absolutely love racing,” Guintoli told Crash.net.

“If you can still fight for wins, why would you stop? It’s the best job in the world!”

Guintoli said that the tragic loss of his son Luca earlier this year only made him more determined.

“The last two years have obviously been very difficult from a personal point of view.

“I’m sure everybody understands that when your child is sick, it's one of the worst things that can happen.

“And unfortunately, our little Luca passed away. It was tragic. It was terrible.

“But seeing how brave and resilient my son was throughout his illness was massively inspiring.

"I've got five other kids and, for me, it's important for them to see that no matter what happens in life, you've got to carry on, fight and keep doing what you love.

“Luca was such a great kid. So even if it's just in his memory, it gives me huge inspiration and motivation to race on.”

Despite the personal heartbreak, Guintoli’s EWC performances were better than ever this season.

“I've never been as fast as I've been this year,” Guintoli said.

“I’ll retire when I’m shit! But in Le Mans, I was leading from the start for a few hours. I smashed the race lap record in Spa - what a place to do it. I love that track. It's so beautiful!

“Unfortunately, I couldn't do Suzuka. And then at the Bol d’Or, I did everything needed to help the team get the title, before we had an engine problem.

“I haven’t decided what I’ll do next, but I’m super motivated to be part of an exciting project, winning races.”

An extension to the BMW test and EWC deal is among the options under discussion for 2026.

“There were two different roles and objectives at BMW,” Guintoli explained. “One was as a test rider for the World Superbike team. And the other, a full-time rider for the World Endurance programme.

“In World Superbike, the target was to help the factory win the title. Obviously, that was massively helped by the arrival of Toprak, who injected a lot of energy into the project. That's clear.

“But being able to help them has been fantastic and one of the boxes was ticked straight away when Toprak won the 2024 title. Now it looks like he’ll do it for a second year in a row.

“On the endurance side, the target was to make the team a championship contender and we clearly did that. Unfortunately, we got unlucky at the very last race, where we had 25 minutes to go to become world champions.

“It was only mechanical issues that held us back: An exhaust problem in Le Mans, one of the rear sets broke in Suzuka and Mikey [van der Mark] crashed in the pit lane, then the engine failure at the Bol d’Or.

“That's racing. But the speed was there and we delivered. Both BMW projects have been interesting and exciting to work on.”

Had they reached the chequered flag, it would have been Guintoli’s second EWC crown, after being part of Suzuki’s 2021 championship-winning team.

Whatever projects Guintoli, 43, chooses for next season, he’ll continue to be a familiar face on TNT.

“The TV side is also really important for me because I've worked with TNT for a few years and it's like a dream team,” he said.

“It's great chemistry when we're live - and when we are not live as well - we've got a fantastic atmosphere.

“It's almost like a second family for me and they've been so supportive over the last few years. We spend a lot of time together and I really love these guys.

“So I'll continue to be on TV next year and I'm also very much looking forward to that.

“It’s a completely different experience, being on the other side of the microphone, but it’s a privilege to understand both sides.

“Continuing to race and test also makes me a better pundit, especially on the technical side, so the different roles complement each other well.”

Between the end of his WorldSBK career and the start of the BMW role, Guintoli spent six years as a test rider for the Suzuki MotoGP team and played a role in the development of Michelin’s MotoGP tyres.