Jack Miller seemed to be without a chance for MotoGP at the end of 2025 when he lost his KTM seat. But for the Australian rider, there may be a chance to continue his riding as there have been negotiations with Pramac Yamaha to continue riding in the premier class. Despite that, Miller stays committed to earning his place given the merit, not the country he comes from.
For now, the MotoGP starting lineup features 22 racers, of which 16 are Spanish and Italian riders. This trend has led to the development of controversy regarding the representation of riders from other countries in the season. What is more important to note is that there are no riders from the UK or US in the forthcoming season at the moment on the bench and there are no young talents from these countries who can join MotoGP soon. But fans will see some interesting talent from other parts of the European world.
Aliex Espargaro’s Perspective
One of the champion riders Aleix Espargaro was asked about the issue in question and his opinion was quite clear: MotoGP should not be based on nationality but on talent. He said that he knows that Spanish and Italian riders are dominant but he also thinks that there is lots of competition in the US for participating in MotoGP. They always look thrilled to participate in becoming part of the tournament.
Espargaro had also participated in Moto 2 where he learned that the team owners can not afford every slot for their rider, hence it is not beneficial to be Spanish or Italian.
The Risks for Other Region’s Riders
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Special cups such as promotional cups are other areas MotoGP is actively employing to scout for talents from Asia and other parts of the world. However, Espargaro noted that in Spain and Italy, there is already a strong foundation for developing riders through national championships, he said that
The championship is investing in Asia and other regions by creating promotional cups so that people come from there, but luckily in Spain and Italy they don’t need to invest because we already have very good championships from the federations, and many riders come up.
The Future of Non-European Riders in MotoGP
Ensuring that that the MotoGP grid remains relatively homogenous, a recent action by Trackhouse the only US-backed team in the championship clearly illustrates. They decided to keep Japan’s Ai Ogura and pass by American rider Joe Roberts thus killing any chances for a new rider to join the the season in 2025. Likewise, there is no British Moto2 racer and Jake Dixon will not participate in MotoGP next year.
