Manu Gonzalez dreams of MotoGP; his manager: "We’re awaiting a response." But there’s also a Plan B

Edoardo Rovelli takes stock of the future of Manuel Gonzalez, leader of the Moto2 World Championship: for 2027 the dream is MotoGP, but the Superbike option is not ruled out either.

After losing the title in 2025, Manuel Gonzalez didn’t let it crush him and today leads the Moto2 standings by 50.5 points over Izan Guevara. But being the benchmark of the class hasn’t been enough to secure him a place in MotoGP for 2027. Unlike other colleagues who have already signed with top-class teams, the 23-year-old from Madrid still doesn’t know if next year he’ll be able to fulfill his dream of racing in MotoGP. With the Trackhouse SuperFile option off the table, the only possibility left is the KTM Tech3 team. We discussed the current season and the future of the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP rider with his manager, Edoardo Rovelli.

“It certainly wasn’t a given to start so well and be back in front in Moto2. He won the very first race and it was a great start because it sent a strong signal. Your head can play nasty tricks when you end a year with a big disappointment. In the first nine races he was frightening, with four wins and three more podiums: it’s a show of strength and also of resilience.”

“Trackhouse should have finalized Fernandez’s renewal and Bastianini’s signing, while Tech3 is considering taking on a rookie to pair with an experienced rider. It’s between Manu Gonzalez and Senna Agius, his current teammate in Moto2. Today I don’t know if we’ll get the MotoGP seat, because Tech3 tells me they need time to decide. That worries me a bit, because Manu has nothing left to prove. Maybe they want to wait and see if Agius’s results improve, as he’s stronger commercially. Gonzalez can’t change his passport, whereas Agius can change his results.”

“On one hand it is a bit, on the other not really, because it’s something we can’t control. It doesn’t depend on us. We’re dealing with it by trying to do our best. Last year we made the mistake of overthinking it; now we’re not losing our minds, we’re waiting. If the chance to go to MotoGP comes, we’ll take it.”

“In MotoGP they look for a young rider who can be fast right away. Maybe the first to sign was Dani Holgado, and that’s something I don’t fully understand. He did well at the end of last season and started 2026 positively, but still not as well as Manu. They gave him an opportunity, but how is he doing in Moto2 now? I think allowing contracts to be signed so early is a problem. Consistency of results should speak before moving on to signatures. And one thing Manu will never lack is consistency—just look at his story.”

“After the GP in Austin I called Nadia Padovani to ask how her team was positioned for 2027 and she told me I was too late. I was surprised, and she explained that Gresini had practically wrapped things up with Holgado. For me, a rider must prove himself first; only then do I go talk to teams—otherwise what are we talking about? Holgado is a fine rider and a good person, but I think he hasn’t shown enough yet. He’s certainly shown less than Gonzalez.”

“The options for 2027 are clear: MotoGP, Moto2, and Superbike. We’re waiting on MotoGP; until all the seats are taken, I won’t move on other fronts. I have offers from both Moto2 and Superbike, but for now they’re on standby. There are many teams waiting for Manu, there are good proposals, and he won’t be without a seat in 2027. I had also spoken with Bimota; they were very interested in Gonzalez, but then they renewed with their current riders.”

“I don’t see it that way. In 2027 there will be changes, from the balance of performance to the tires. In my opinion, the other bikes aren’t that far off Ducati. We’ll have to see who’s riding them. Certainly the Panigale V4 R is the best bike today, but Ducati also has riders who are better at making the difference. BMW has been unlucky due to injuries to their riders, particularly Oliveira, who had managed to get some podiums. In my view, Manu is someone who can make the difference in Superbike. Even without riding the Ducati, he could achieve important results—perhaps with even greater value.”

“Actually, he could have been in MotoGP as early as 2025. In 2024 he was racing Moto2 with the Gresini team, and we were told he would become Alex Marquez’s teammate, but then the deal didn’t happen. We were told Manu was too young, that he still had to prove himself, and that he would have time to go to MotoGP. Last year there was another possibility, but there were those pushing for Moreira to come to MotoGP, even though the Brazilian was still far behind Manu at that time—the runner-up was still Canet. Then Diogo received offers from Honda and Yamaha, while we only had big talk and castles in the air. When Moreira signed with Honda, everything fell apart for us. There were contacts with Yamaha, who were considering not confirming Rins and putting Miller in the factory team, but they did a lot of back-and-forth; so we confirmed to IntactGP that we would stay in Moto2.”

-> Seguici anche su Instagram: @Corsedimoto