Marco Bezzecchi
Iker Lecuona put on a dazzling display to claim P7 during his replacement ride for Gresini amid Alex Marquez’s absence, and MotoGP fans believe the Spaniard has done enough to earn himself a full-time seat on the grid.
The Ducati World Superbikes star was given the green light to replace the injury-stricken Marquez after test rider Michele Pirro took over duties at Mugello during the prior race weekend. The experienced Italian ended up in last place, six seconds off the next competitor.
Does Iker Lecuona deserve to be in MotoGP?
Despite not taking part in a MotoGP race since his days as a substitute rider for Honda in 2023, Lecuona secured one of the best results for a replacement rider in recent years.
Of course, the Spaniard competed at Balaton Park in WSBK at the start of May, but his experience with the current crop of bikes was close to zero heading into the MotoGP race weekend, which compounds how impressive his performance truly was.
He will have certainly earned some favour within Ducati, as well as Gresini, the satellite outfit he raced for in Hungary, with MotoGP fans under the impression that he is more deserving than one of the current riders under the Italian constructor’s umbrella.
- READ MORE: Who is Iker Lecuona? Everything to know about Alex Marquez’s replacement for Hungarian Grand Prix
MotoGP fans call for VR46 to replace Franco Morbidelli with ‘phenomenal’ Iker Lecuona
Fans on the social media platform, Reddit, were quick to share their opinions on Lecuona’s return to the premier class, with one fan highlighting just how impressed they were with his ability to secure a P7 finish.
They wrote, “Seriously impressive considering he’d never ridden the Ducati GP bike before this weekend. Phenomenal performance.”
Here’s our rider ratings for the Hungarian Grand Prix! Which ones would you change?
There was also a lot of discussion regarding the possibility of Lecuona replacing Franco Morbidelli at VR46, considering the poor start to 2026 that he has endured up to this point.
One Reddit user noted how he put many of the grid’s current occupants ‘to shame’ with his strong result, commenting, “That was an amazing ride. He put some of the full-time riders to shame.”
The post received a sarcastic response, which highlighted how disappointing Morbidelli was in comparison, with a separate user replying, “Nah man, Morbidelli’s shining ride to 14th on a Ducati with 16 finishers was a divine performance.”
Another user believes a change has to happen immediately, commenting, “If I’m VR46, I’m booting Morbidelli right now and calling Iker.”
Another fan drew attention to Morbidelli’s poor performances by applauding Lecuona’s adaptability, writing, “It may be ridiculous, but I’d put Lecuona in Morbidelli’s seat tomorrow.”
- READ MORE: Iker Lecuona answers if he’d like to return to MotoGP after impressive Hungarian Grand Prix
This garnered a response from a separate user, who replied, “This isn’t ridiculous. Everyone knows Morbidelli doesn’t deserve his seat now and needs to go.”
The sentiment was shared by another user, who believes Lecuona should end the season at VR46 instead of the Italian rider. “He should finish the year at VR46 instead of having to play wingman for [Nicolo] Bulega every week,” they wrote.
Interestingly, Bulega is expected to fill one of VR46’s seats in 2027, so the possibility of such an arrangement happening could leave the current WSBK championship leader in an awkward position.
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