If a rider changes teams in 2027, where's the motivation now?": Steiner's warning about the chaos in the rider market

Gunther Steiner “debuts” in MotoGP and admits he’s especially surprised by the frenetic rider market.

Not just on track—keep an eye on the garage too on this first MotoGP day in Buriram. For Gunther Steiner it’s time to make his debut as the new head of Tech3 Racing, inheriting a three-decade run of success built by Hervé Poncharal together with Guy Coulon. Steiner has nothing but thanks for his French colleague: “He prepared me well! No nasty surprises, I can only thank him.” He won’t be able to attend every GP, but he couldn’t miss his team’s season opener, present in MotoGP and Moto3. He doesn’t shy away from commenting on his riders, and he also weighs in on an overly fast-moving rider market that has caught him off guard.

A development that started from an idea two years ago, finally materialized last year. With a fresh curiosity to learn and understand everything as quickly as possible. “We’re talking about the best of this sport, the bikes,” Steiner told motogp.com during this busy Friday at the Thai circuit. As mentioned, he won’t be able to be at every Grand Prix, with team manager Nicolas Goyon set to be “my eyes and ears.” Not exactly new—he’d already been doing that back when Poncharal was still running the team. “I hope to make it to at least half the GPs. I’ve got a packed schedule, and a 16-year-old daughter who constantly complains that I’m never home. I’ve got a few challenges to tackle,” he added with a smile.

A development that started from an idea two years ago, finally materialized last year. With a fresh curiosity to learn and understand everything as quickly as possible. “We’re talking about the best of this sport, the bikes,” Steiner told motogp.com during this busy Friday at the Thai circuit. As mentioned, he won’t be able to be at every Grand Prix, with team manager Nicolas Goyon set to be “my eyes and ears.” Not exactly new—he’d already been doing that back when Poncharal was still running the team. “I hope to make it to at least half the GPs. I’ve got a packed schedule, and a 16-year-old daughter who constantly complains that I’m never home. I’ve got a few challenges to tackle,” he added with a smile.