Alex Rins, a major regret called Gresini: the backstory told by the rider

Rins recounted an interesting anecdote from his MotoGP career: perhaps, if he could go back, he would make a different choice.

These are not easy years for Alex Rins, who, after signing with Yamaha, has not managed to achieve the results he hoped for. On the M1 he has struggled to break into the top 10, a major disappointment for a rider who, in his Suzuki days, managed three years in a row (2018-2019-2020) to finish within the top five of the final MotoGP standings. In his two-year spell with the Iwata team, his best result was a seventh place: in the race at Phillip Island in 2025. His contract expires at the end of 2026 and, without good finishes, he risks being left off the 2027 grid.

The 30-year-old Spaniard spoke about his situation in MotoGP in an interview with L'Esportiu de Catalunya: "I will give everything on track to have the best options for the future. My goal is to renew with Yamaha for the next two seasons, but I don’t know what their plans are. The fact that I’ve had an inferior bike in recent years doesn’t help when it comes to negotiating."

Despite the unsatisfactory results of recent years, Rins continues to believe in the Yamaha project and hasn’t lost faith in himself: "My potential is much greater than what I’ve been able to show over the last two years. We need to build a good base in terms of the bike’s setup: if we manage that and it works well, hopefully we can get back to the front. So far we’ve arrived at the races without weapons."

Since the 2026 season, the Iwata factory has decided to run a V4 engine, which the Catalan prefers to the inline-four, as with the new prototype he feels his riding style is better rewarded. There is still a lot of work to do, as it’s a new project. We’ll see what results come during the championship.

During 2022, Suzuki suddenly announced its decision to leave MotoGP, which stunned everyone, starting with the riders on the team, namely him and Joan Mir. Rins recalled that he had two options for 2023: "I had the chance to go to Gresini or to LCR Honda, I chose the latter because it offered me factory-rider treatment. I had the same material as the factory team and upgrades to the bike were supposed to arrive at the same time. We won in Austin, but with Honda it was tough, because they didn’t keep their promises. A year later, the opportunity came up with Yamaha, with the factory team. I knew the bike couldn’t win, but we accepted the challenge of turning it into a winner. In the end, we weren’t able to get good results or make the podium."

In hindsight, it’s easy to say that the Catalan should have accepted the Ducati seat with the Gresini team instead of racing with LCR Honda: "I don’t regret it — he explains — because I can’t change it now. It seems like a very easy decision to jump on a Ducati, but that’s because currently the satellite teams aren’t independent. For example, at Prima Pramac Yamaha, the two riders have a contract with the factory and official material like I do; it’s the same at Ducati, and Honda offered me the same conditions as Marc Marquez and Joan Mir. With Gresini I didn’t have that possibility; the tie was directly with the team, unlike now. It wasn’t a matter of money, but of the project and factory support."

With the Honda RC213V he won the race in Austin and then began an ordeal due to the bad injury (fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg) suffered at Mugello. It took quite some time to fully recover. Alex Marquez landed at the Gresini team’s Ducati, making the right choice to relaunch his career after being with the LCR team and before that with the Honda factory team. Even if he says he has no regrets, Rins would certainly make a different choice if he could go back in time.