STEINER SAYS AGE TIPPED TECH3’S MOTOGP CHOICE TOWARD AGIUS

Tech3 boss Guenther Steiner says choosing Senna Agius over Moto2 championship leader Manuel Gonzalez for the team’s final MotoGP seat next season was a difficult call, with age and long-term potential proving decisive.

Agius was confirmed alongside fellow newcomer Luca Marini on the eve of the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Steiner said Tech3 saw the 21-year-old as a rider who could become “somebody big in MotoGP” and felt fortunate to secure him, noting that other teams had also been interested. The plan pairs Marini’s experience with Agius’s arrival from Moto2.

Steiner also believes the timing will help the Australian adapt. The gap between Moto2 and next year’s MotoGP machinery is expected to be smaller than it is now, and Agius already has experience with Pirelli tyres. Those factors, he said, make next season a good opportunity to bring in a rookie.

Gonzalez, 24, currently leads the Moto2 championship and is ahead of Agius in the standings. Steiner stressed that both riders are strong candidates, but said Agius’s age tipped the balance: “He’s three years younger, and we’ve got more time to develop him.” Gonzalez will therefore miss out on a MotoGP promotion despite his championship position. Four riders are set to move up from Moto2 next season.

Agius’s signing also ensures Australia will have a representative on the MotoGP grid next year, following Jack Miller’s move to WorldSBK. That will be especially notable at the inaugural Adelaide round. Steiner said returning home as a MotoGP rider should be a great moment for Agius, while joking that Tech3 would need to keep the attention from becoming a distraction: “We will hide him away!”

Agius had an early taste of MotoGP machinery at Monday’s Pirelli test at the Red Bull Ring. Unofficial reports placed him just four-tenths of a second behind current Tech3 rider Maverick Viñales. Both were said to be riding adapted 1000cc KTM bikes, rather than the 850cc prototype.