Scott Redding criticizes MotoGP: "They’re all Italians and Spaniards." Alex Rins ends up in the crosshairs

Redding’s mindset has changed; in BSB he has found his ideal dimension and he doesn’t look back with regret. He also has something to say about MotoGP...

Scott Redding has put his MotoGP and World Superbike experiences behind him and is at ease in the British Superbike Championship, where he returned to race in 2025 after having been its champion in 2019. He’s 33, married, a father, and approaches racing with less pressure than in the past. Not that he’s lost the will to win, but he’s not obsessed with it. In 2026 he remains with the Hager PBM Ducati team and with the new Panigale V4 R he will try his best to secure another title in the category.

Interviewed by the Full Chat podcast, Redding explained the mindset with which he’s facing this stage of his career, very different from what it was years ago: "I was among fewer than five British riders to make it to MotoGP, to stand on the podium, to fight for the Moto2 world title. People don’t understand how much pressure I had to carry on my shoulders. I wanted to win; it wasn’t a good day if I didn’t get on the podium. For about ten years I suffered mentally because of this. Today, when I look back, I’m proud of what I’ve done. But at the time I thought it wasn’t enough, and that kind of thinking can sometimes drag you into a negative spiral."

Right now, being in the British Superbike Championship seems the best thing for him: "Now in BSB I enjoy racing - he explains - I have fun because there’s no electronics, everyone has the same tires, travel is simpler, and there’s a great atmosphere with people. Being in the top 10 can be very difficult depending on the circuit, and I like that there are more riders who can win. I have some pressure, but no matter what happens, I’m doing my best. If I can win, I win, but if I come fourth or fifth that’s fine too. I’m at peace with myself; I don’t have anything to prove."

Scott has been the target of criticism over the years, but it doesn’t faze him much today, because he has awareness and pride in what he’s achieved as a rider: "On social media they say a lot of negative things, but I was the youngest winner in the World Championship, I was Moto2 runner-up, I won several races, I started from the front row in MotoGP, I took two podiums, I won races in World Superbike and finished second in the championship, I won in BSB after breaking my femur two months before the start of the season and I didn’t know the tracks. I raced against the best in MotoGP. Don’t you see all that? I have nothing to prove. Now I’m doing everything for myself; if you can’t respect what I’ve done, shame on you."

In BSB there are riders over 40 like Leon Haslam and Joshua Brookes, but Redding doesn’t seem intent on racing as long as those two colleagues: "I don’t want to be a dinosaur; there are some, even if they’re still fast. I thought that at 30 I’d be retired, a multimillionaire, living the dream. It didn’t happen; things change. But I realized there’s one thing I’m good at that lets me earn more than a normal job, gives me the freedom to be with my family, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I have. But I don’t want to race forever. I’ve been doing it since I was 5 and I’ve missed a lot of things. I’d like to do a few years in BSB and maybe also an experience in MotoAmerica, get a camper with the family and travel across America going to races like in the old days. Some things need to align, and if I want to keep being competitive, I have to assess how long I want to do it. I’d like to stop on my own terms; for an athlete there’s nothing worse than being forced to stop because of other issues."

The Hager PBM Ducati rider was also asked about MotoGP, where there are no British riders; the last to contest a full season was Cal Crutchlow in 2020: "Countries like Spain and Italy are the heart of this sport; that’s where the money is. Just look at the MotoGP grid over the last three years, especially the factory teams: they’re all Spanish and Italian. There are great riders; I don’t want to take anything away from them, but there are some like Alex Rins who has been riding a factory Yamaha for a couple of years, and I ask myself ‘Why?’ He’s a good rider, but he’s had many injuries, he’s not consistent. I think he shouldn’t be there, but he’s Spanish and there could be some connections that help. You have to play the cards you’re dealt, and being British doesn’t make things easier. It’s crazy that there isn’t a single British rider in MotoGP and Moto2."

Scott isn’t the first to say there are too many Italians and Spaniards on the MotoGP grid. While there are many strong riders who absolutely deserve to be there, some names still draw criticism. In 2027, some of them will be gone. Alex Rins himself, mentioned by Redding, risks not having a seat in the category next year.

The full interview with Scott Redding on the Full Chat YouTube channel