Senna Agius has reportedly won the race for the final seat on the 2027 MotoGP grid at Tech3, beating Moto2 teammate Manuel Gonzalez.
Only around half the teams have announced their line-ups for next year, but all of them have decided. The Tech3 seat was the last one in play.
And according to Sky Sports Italy, Guenther Steiner has chosen Agius over Gonzalez. The 21-year-old hasn’t yet signed a contract, but that is a matter of time at this stage.
Senna Agius to partner Luca Marini at Tech3 next year
Agius will partner Luca Marini, who has lost his Honda factory seat. Again, that deal just needs to be finalised at this stage.
Enea Bastianini is joining Trackhouse and Maverick Vinales could retire altogether after falling out with KTM. Steiner wanted a veteran and a young talent for his brand-new line-up, with Marini and Agius long seen as the favourites.
Is Senna Agius the right choice for Tech3, or did Manuel Gonzalez deserve the seat?
Agius has reportedly won the race to partner Luca Marini next year
KTM believe Agius has a higher ceiling than Gonzalez, even if he’s currently behind his fellow Intact GP rider in Moto2.
Gonzalez leads the way on 195.5 points, with Pramac-bound Izan Guevara second on 144 and Agius third on 136. The New South Wales native failed to score in the opening two rounds but has scored four podiums in the nine events since, including two victories.
Manuel Gonzalez on latest MotoGP snub: ‘It’s not fair’
Journalist Manuel Pecino asked Gonzalez if it was ‘fair’ that several riders below in the championship were graduating to MotoGP. In addition to Agius and Guevara, fourth-place David Alonso (Honda) and fifth-place Daniel Holgado (Gresini) have been snapped up.
“It’s not fair,” he said. “If you look at the data, it shouldn’t be this way, but in MotoGP, it’s not just about results or performance; a lot of other factors matter – things that are out of our hands.
“As I said, every rider has had a different career path. So, you have to analyse what each one achieved given the resources available to them. It’s not just about what they did, but what they did with what they had to work with.
“Because joining a winning team is different from joining a new team. Coming from Supersport – riding a production-based bike – is different from coming up through Moto3.
“So, it’s different. You have to analyse those factors, but of course, it’s very, very difficult, and I don’t think MotoGP teams have the time or the inclination to look that closely.”
Commercially, signing an Australian in Agius may be more advantageous for Tech3 given the proliferation of Spaniards already on the grid. Steiner has denied that this played a part.
Gonzalez added that he was open to staying in Moto2 or potentially moving to World Superbikes next year. He expects a formal decision from Tech3 before the end of the summer break, or potentially during the Silverstone weekend.
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