ESPARgaró OPEN TO LEADING A MOTOGP RIDERS’ ASSOCIATION

A proposal for a MotoGP riders’ association resurfaced around the Indonesian Grand Prix, amid frustration over how decisions affecting riders are made. The debate included the championship’s planned 2027 schedule changes: an additional qualifying session and the removal of Sunday morning warm-up. Riders’ concern, according to reporting, was not only the changes themselves but that decisions are made without their direct involvement.

MotoGP’s current structure channels riders’ interests through teams and manufacturers. There is no equivalent of Formula 1’s Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, though riders can attend meetings of the official safety commission at each event and speak directly with MotoGP. The opportunity is taken up inconsistently, and not as part of an organised group.

That prompted discussion in the paddock about creating a formal body to represent riders, with Aleix Espargaró suggested as a possible first chair. The experienced Spaniard, now a Honda test rider, said he would welcome the idea. “For me, it would be absolutely interesting to be president of an association,” he said, adding that such a group “would be very important” and had been sought by many riders for a long time.

Espargaró was less certain that he could take on the role soon. After his injury, he said, he had missed riding the Honda and being involved in developing the bike. He wants to continue riding and enjoy that work this year and next, while leaving open the possibility of a future role: “You should never say never.”

His family and test duties would also weigh heavily. “For me, my family is the most important thing,” he said. As a test rider, he expects the job to take up much of his time and said he could not imagine following the entire championship in person. For now, the association remains an idea rather than an organised body, and Espargaró has not committed to leading it.