Marco Bezzecchi
Manuel Gonzalez’s manager, Eddy Rovelli, has taken a swipe at MotoGP as his rider is not on the grid while others remain in the sport.
The Moto2 rider was on course to win the title in 2025, but a retirement and a disqualification allowed Diogo Moreira to pull off the biggest comeback in the category’s history to clinch the crown. At the time, Gonzalez was on the radar of several MotoGP teams.
Gonzalez had tested with Trackhouse Aprilia at Aragon and impressed the team, but with Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez locked in for 2026, there was no room for him.
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Honda was a potential option, but they ended up signing Moreira to LCR. This left the Spaniard with just one option for 2026: Pramac Yamaha.
Gonzalez was heavily linked with Pramac as they weighed up their options for 2026, but in the end, they retained Jack Miller to partner with newcomer Toprak Razgatlioglu. His MotoGP chances dwindled completely after losing the Moto2 championship.
Manuel Gonzalez’s manager finds it ‘inexplicable’ that some riders remain in MotoGP
With almost all riders out of contract in 2026, there could be an opening for Gonzalez for the 2027 season. However, his manager, Rovelli, revealed to Speedweek that he does not feature anywhere on the MotoGP rider market.
“Believe it or not, the fact is that I don’t speak to anyone in MotoGP,” said the Italian, before launching a scolding attack on the championship.
“Moto2 seems to be drifting further and further away from MotoGP. It seems to me that many people there have completely lost sight of what’s happening in this class.
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“Frankly, it’s shocking how little they know about the riders in the intermediate category. Anyone who takes a close look at the statistics will find it quite inexplicable why so many riders are still in the premier class.
“There isn’t just one rider there who, statistically speaking, has been finished for quite some time. But the team bosses prefer to stick with them and gamble with the established names.
“Right now, with the completely new bikes and the upcoming Pirelli tires, there would be a great opportunity to bring about a generational change in MotoGP. But as I said, there are absolutely no signs of that yet.”
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Eddy Rovelli says Manuel Gonzalez’s ‘most likely’ 2027 destination is WSBK
Given that Gonzalez is currently not in discussions with any MotoGP team in 2027 – but of course, that could change – he is faced with exploring other options.
Staying in Moto2 is out of the question, as Rovelli reveals. For him, Gonzalez’s most likely destination is to move to World Superbikes.
He added: “As an alternative to MotoGP, I see the Superbike World Championship as the most likely option.
“Within the MotoGP paddock, it’s becoming clear that in the future, the focus will be even more strongly on the premier class, and for the hard-working top rider Manuel, who in my opinion can make his way in any class, Moto2 is not a good long-term option.”
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