Marco Bezzecchi
Crew chiefs are the most important members of a MotoGP rider’s trackside entourage and are key players when it comes to listening to the feedback of their stars and successfully applying it.
In the high-stakes environment of Grand Prix motorcycle racing’s premier class, the crew chief is the vital link between a rider’s raw feeling and the complex data of the prototype.
Here are the profiles for the 22 crew chiefs guiding the grid this season:
Ducati
Marc Marquez – Marco Rigamonti
Marco Rigamonti was the architect behind Marc Marquez’s transition to the factory squad and played an integral part in the successful results that ensued.
After years of proving his worth with the likes of Max Biaggi, Andrea Iannone and Johann Zarco, Rigamonti was hand-picked by Ducati’s top brass for his ability to handle a superstar personality without sacrificing technical discipline.
He focuses on refining the GP26 to match Marquez’s aggressive riding style, with Rigamonti’s calm demeanour balancing out the seven-time world champion’s high-intensity approach.
Francesco Bagnaia – Cristian Gabbarini
With 2026 marking his eighth year with Francesco Bagnaia, Cristian Gabbarini is a well-versed and highly renowned member of the Ducati garage.
Prior to Marquez’s triumph last year, Gabbarini was regarded as the common denominator for all of Ducati’s riders’ championships, having served as Casey Stoner’s right-hand man in 2007, as well as leading Bagnaia to glory in 2022 and 2023.
As well as the world champions listed above, Gabbarini also played a part in Jack Miller’s early years in the category, as well as crossing paths with Jorge Lorenzo during the Spaniard’s short stint at Honda.
Gresini
Alex Marquez – Donatello Giovanotti
Donatello Giovanotti has been Alex Marquez’s secret weapon at Gresini and was a key player in the Spaniard’s career-best P2 in the 2025 riders’ standings.
The Italian previously worked as a trackside engineer before being promoted to crew chief ahead of Marquez’s arrival in 2023.
They have since won multiple Grands Prix and Sprint races, establishing the Spaniard as a serious contender for ultimate glory in MotoGP.
Fermin Aldeguer – Frankie Carchedi
Frankie Carchedi first rose to prominence as the crew chief to Joan Mir in 2020, when the Spaniard won the world title for the now-defunct Suzuki MotoGP outfit.
Following the Japanese constructor’s departure from the grid, the British engineer moved to Faenza in a partnership with Fabio Di Giannantonio.
His next assignment was with Marc Marquez in 2024, before utilising his years of experience to aid Fermin Aldeguer’s Rookie of the Year quest in 2025. He remains an integral part of the young Murcian’s development in the premier class.
VR46
Fabio Di Giannantonio – Massimo Branchini
Massimo Branchini is a multi-time World Champion in the intermediate class, having guided Johann Zarco to back-to-back Moto2 titles in 2015 and 2016, as well as Augusto Fernandez to his title in 2022.
He later moved to MotoGP with the Ajo/KTM structure before joining VR46 to lead Fabio Di Giannantonio’s garage in 2023.
Franco Morbidelli – Matteo Flamigni
Matteo Flamigni is best known as the career-long data engineer for MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, having also worked alongside Jerry Burgess and Silvano Galbusera.
In 2022, he transitioned to the role of crew chief within the VR46 team, initially working with Marco Bezzecchi and later Franco Morbidelli.
His highly successful career is built on two decades of world championship-winning-level data analysis at Yamaha and Ducati.
KTM
Pedro Acosta – Paul Trevathan
Paul Trevathan is a cornerstone of KTM’s history in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. He was the crew chief for Pol Espargaro from 2017 to 2020, leading the development of the RC16 from its infancy to its first trip to the premier class podium.
After Espargaro left, Trevathan moved to the KTM Ajo structure and later rejoined the MotoGP project to lead Pedro Acosta’s garage.
He has been the primary engineer for Acosta through the Spaniard’s rapid ascent from a wide-eyed rookie to a consistent podium-sitter.
Brad Binder – Phil Marron
Phil Marron is a major 2026 acquisition from the WorldSBK paddock, best known for being the technical mastermind behind Toprak Razgatlioglu’s three world titles in the category.
Marron previously had experience in the British Superbike and WorldSSP paddocks and was specifically brought in by KTM to revitalise Brad Binder’s career after a stagnant 2025.
Despite returning to the Grand Prix paddock after a 10-year-long hiatus, Marron’s brilliance under pressure makes him a formidable asset in the KTM garage.
Aprilia
Marco Bezzecchi – Francesco Venturato
Francesco Venturato has been instrumental in Marco Bezzecchi’s evolution from a satellite standout to a factory leader. Having previously worked on the technical side of the VR46 project, he moved to Aprilia to support Bezzecchi’s jump.
For 2026, Venturato’s challenge is to keep his rider grounded while also offering him every tool available to ensure that he is able to mount a challenge for his first world title in the premier class.
Jorge Martin – Daniele Romagnoli
Daniele Romagnoli followed Jorge Martin from Pramac to the factory Aprilia project, providing the Spaniard with vital continuity after their bond was forged during their 2024 title-winning campaign.
Romagnoli is an expert at optimising Martin’s machinery for his explosive qualifying laps. His ability to translate Martin’s high-speed demands into Aprilia’s engineering language has made the #89 a title favourite as Noale looks to dethrone Ducati in 2026.
Yamaha
Fabio Quartararo – Diego Gubellini
As the man who helped El Diablo conquer the 2021 world championship, Diego Gubellini remains the pillar of Yamaha’s garage.
He is a master of electronics and data acquisition, constantly tweaking the M1’s power delivery to compensate for its straight-line deficit.
In 2026, his role is more critical than ever as Yamaha debuts its new V4 engine, with his biggest task coming in the form of keeping Fabio Quartararo’s motivation high.
Alex Rins – David Munoz
Previously successful with Valentino Rossi at Petronas, David Munoz is known for his surgical approach, having joined Alex Rins at Yamaha to provide technical stability.
In 2026, he is tasked with aiding the Spaniard’s every move inside the Yamaha garages, with his calm communication style already helping Rins stay focused during Yamaha’s arduous development path.
Trackhouse
Raul Fernandez – Noe Herrera
Noe Herrera was the crew chief for Raul Fernandez during his record-breaking Moto2 rookie season in 2021. He rejoined Fernandez at the Aprilia-backed Trackhouse squad to recreate that technical synergy.
His background is rooted in the competitive Ajo/KTM Moto2 structure and was one of the first members of the team to greet Fernandez after his debut win heroics at the 2025 Australian GP.
Ai Ogura – Giovanni Mattarollo
Giovanni Mattarollo is an Aprilia Racing engineer who previously served as the crew chief for Maverick Vinales during his initial transition to the RS-GP.
He was assigned to the Trackhouse project to provide factory-level technical oversight for Ai Ogura during his debut and sophomore seasons in the premier class.
Honda
Joan Mir – Santi Hernandez
Hernandez was a suspension engineer for MotoGP legend Alex Criville before becoming the crew chief for Marc Marquez during the Spaniard’s final years in the Moto2 category.
He was the Spaniard’s right-hand man in all six of his premier class titles with Honda, cementing himself as one of the most successful crew chiefs in MotoGP history.
Since 2024, he has remained at the Japanese constructor, applying his extensive knowledge of the RC213V to Joan Mir’s factory effort.
Luca Marini – Christian Pupulin
Christian Pupulin is a long-time Ducati veteran who worked with Andrea Dovizioso and later Jack Miller at the factory team, before following the Australian to KTM in order to support his transition to the Austrian constructor’s machinery.
In 2025, he was recruited by HRC to lead Luca Marini’s technical team, bringing European engineering methodologies to the Japanese factory.
His partnership with the Italian has played a key role in Honda’s resurgence up the MotoGP pecking order.
Tech3
Enea Bastianini – Andres Madrid
Andres Madrid was the crew chief for Brad Binder for nearly a decade, spanning from their Moto3 title-winning season in 2016 through Moto2 and into the South African’s first six terms in MotoGP.
In 2026, Madrid moved within the KTM family to the Tech3 squad in order to provide Enea Bastianini with an experienced KTM specialist who understands the RC16’s characteristics.
Maverick Vinales – Manuel Cazeaux
Manuel Cazeaux is synonymous with Maverick Vinales’ success. He was Vinales’ crew chief at Suzuki when he took the brand’s first modern-era win at Silverstone in 2016.
The pair reunited at Aprilia in 2023 after Cazeaux spent several years winning races with Alex Rins at Suzuki, remaining together at the Tech3 KTM project for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Vinales also benefits from the aid of Jorge Lorenzo in his box, after the three-time world champion became his performance coach ahead of the 2026 campaign.
LCR
Johann Zarco – David Garcia
David Garcia worked extensively in the Moto2 paddock with the Marc VDS outfit before moving to MotoGP.
He was the crew chief for Alex Marquez during his rookie year in the premier class and has since become the lead technical figure for Johann Zarco at LCR, focusing on the development of the Honda prototype as they look towards a return to former glory.
Diogo Moreira – Klaus Nohles
Klaus Nohles is a former competitor who transitioned into engineering following the end of his active career. He worked as a technical coordinator for HRC before becoming a crew chief at LCR.
He previously worked with Takaaki Nakagami and Somkiat Chantra before leading the 2026 arrival of Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira ahead of his rookie campaign in the premier class.
Pramac
Jack Miller – Giacomo Guidotti
Giacomo Guidotti brings decades of experience from Honda and Ducati to the Pramac garage. He is a ‘rider’s chief’, known for his ability to translate Jack Miller’s colourful feedback into actionable mechanical changes.
As Miller continues to develop Yamaha’s new V4-powered prototype, Guidotti focuses on maximising the Australian’s race weekends.
For 2026, Guidotti’s main objective is to improve Miller’s results, while also leveraging the veteran’s development experience.
Toprak Razgatlioglu – Alberto Giribuola
Alberto Giribuola is a technical heavyweight who has been tasked with 2026’s biggest project: adapting Toprak Razgatlioglu to MotoGP. A former architect of Andrea Dovizioso’s success at Ducati, Giribuola’s expertise lies in braking stability and engine-braking strategies.
This makes him the ideal partner for Razgatlioglu, who excels in the braking zones. In 2026, he took on the role of being an instructor, helping the Turkish star translate his WorldSBK dominance into the Grand Prix world.
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