Runaway Moto2 championship chief Manu Gonzalez says he has “nothing” in the case of qualifying for MotoGP in 2027 as ties within the trackhouse cool.
The 23-year-old Spaniard is additional forward of the Moto2 area in 2026 as a part of the Intact GP staff.
After eight races, Gonzalez has 4 wins and just one podium end. He took his third consecutive win of the season eventually weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix and at the moment has a 49.5 level distinction over the remainder of the pack.
Manu Gonzalez, Intact GP, 2026 Hungarian Moto2
© Gold & Goose
This follows on from his dominant efficiency at Mugello only a week in the past, when he beat the sphere by 5.3 seconds on a monitor synonymous with tight pack racing.
His kind solely strengthens his case to take the step to MotoGP in 2027. Previous to Mugello, his title wasn’t a lot of a consideration in rider market hypothesis, with Moto2 contemporaries like Dani Holgado and David Alonso seemingly getting extra MotoGP contracts than Mugello.
Intact GP teammate Senna Agius additionally has sturdy connections with Tech3 KTM and is aiming to maneuver as much as MotoGP.
After Mugello, it appeared as if the tide was lastly beginning to shift in Gonzalez’s favor, with studies suggesting he could be in talks with the Trackhouse Aprilia staff.
However in Balaton Park, these connections appeared to have cooled.
“I am in the identical place as earlier than…”
It is a cheap match. Trackhouse is stunned that Ai Ogura is transferring to Yamaha subsequent 12 months, whereas Raul Fernandez’s kind has been hit and miss in 2026, leaving his future up within the air. The prospect of Davide Brivio leaving for Honda subsequent 12 months is more likely to make Fernandes’ scenario much more troublesome.
Gonzalez examined the trackhouse Aprilia final 12 months at Aragon, the place Ogura was absent attributable to damage.
A powerful rumor in latest weeks has been that Enea Bastianini will train the discharge clause in his KTM contract and transfer to Trackhouse.
In idea, Gonzalez nonetheless has house left. However after his victory in Hungary, his updates on how the 2027 negotiations will go weren’t encouraging.
“I am in precisely the identical place as I used to be at Mugello,” he mentioned.
“I wish to say one thing, however I can not. I can not as a result of I haven’t got something.”
He laughed on the finish of that assertion, however the scenario he finds himself in is dire. Subsequent 12 months can be an awesome alternative for rookies to take part in MotoGP and turn out to be energetic in earnest.
Not solely will the change to 850cc bikes degree the sphere, however Moto2 riders may even obtain an enormous increase from the change from Michelin to Pirelli rubber. At present getting used for racing within the intermediate class.
Manuel Gonzalez, Filip Salak, Moto2, 2026, Hungarian GP
© Gold & Goose
Does Gonzalez have the mistaken passport?
Gonzalez seems to be an unlucky sufferer of nationality. His Spanish passport works towards him in some ways.
That is particularly merciless provided that Spaniard Dani Holgado is about to step up from Gresini Ducati to MotoGP in 2027, whereas Spanish-born David Alonso, who races beneath the Colombian flag, has moved to Honda.
There may be at the moment a transfer to diversify the nationalities on the MotoGP grid, away from the quick Spaniards and Italians who’ve dominated for a lot of the twenty first century, and the door has been opened for Australia’s Agius to step ahead.
However on the finish of the day, a great rider is an effective rider, and Gonzalez has confirmed past a shadow of a doubt in Moto2 this 12 months that he’s prepared and worthy of the problem.
“Austin was a troublesome race, however I nonetheless managed to get fifth place,” he mentioned in Italy. “So, to win the championship, the essential second is just not at this time (the win). It is a troublesome second, as a result of there are 22 races and every level is definitely essential. And in these races, you undergo, you will have crashes. And if you lose that time, you in all probability say, ‘Okay, I’ve to just accept it, I’ve to complete the race in sixth, seventh place.’
“And these factors are actually essential for the championship. And final season we had some races the place we misplaced these factors. So we have to deal with lately, as a result of the day will come. Actually there are tracks that can undergo a bit extra. So we should be prepared for these moments.”
