Who is Manuel Gonzalez, Aprilia's rookie for the Aragon Test?

During the Official Test of MotoGP which takes place this Monday, the day after the Aragon Grand Prix, a new face has appeared in the MotoGP peloton. The Spanish rider, Manuel Gonzalez, is taking part in the test day riding an Aprilia RS-GP belonging to Team Trackhouse, a big first for the 23-year-old rider.

Given Ai Ogura's unexpected absence due to injury, the Japanese team had an extra machine, which they were unable to use during the race weekend. They therefore decided to entrust it to the Moto2 rider, to give him a chance to make his debut in the premier class.

This MotoGP debut is a victory in the young Spaniard's unusual career. He rose to prominence in 2019, becoming the youngest ever road motorcycling world champion in the WorldSSP300 category. After his promotion to WorldSSP and two seasons in the category, he finally took his first steps in the world championship, moving directly into Moto2.

In 2022, throughout his rookie campaign, Gonzalez finished the season with three consecutive top-6 finishes. However, it wasn't until the 2024 season, and his promotion to Team Gresini Moto2, that his talent truly blossomed. The Madrid native took his first victory in tricky conditions at the Japanese GP. 2025 marked a new challenge for Gonzalez, who moved to the Intact GP team.

A stunning start to the 2025 season

The Spaniard, however, is not afraid of anything and is making it known. Leading the Moto2 World Championship by just three points heading into the race in Aragon, the Iberian is undoubtedly the strong man at the start of the season in the intermediate category.

A three-time winner in Thailand, Spain, and France, the Team Intact GP driver has only missed out on two podium finishes in the first seven rounds of the season. The first time was due to a strategic error in tricky conditions in Austin. The second time was at Silverstone, when he collided with Barry Baltus in the first half of the race.

This official test day organized by the discipline is the second of the season, following the one held in Jerez, during the launch of the MotoGP European tour. A third and final test is still scheduled for next September, when the 22 riders on the grid will travel to Misano, to compete in the San Marino Grand Prix.

© Intact GP Moto2

Manuel Gonzalez close to a contract for 2026?

This will not be the case with the Trackhouse Racing team, as Davide Brivio confirmed during the Warm Up of the Aragon Grand Prix.

"It's something very simple: we have the bike here, and there's a test day tomorrow. We thought it would be nice to give a young rider an opportunity, explains the Team Manager of the team on MotoGP.com. Manuel Gonzalez is leading the Moto2 championship, he's having a good season. That's it: no speculation. We have our riders under contract for 2026, we're not looking for a new rider."

The latter then confirmed that Manuel Gonzalez is not on the list of potential replacements for Ai Ogura in the event of the Japanese driver's further absence from Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix which will take place there in two weeks.

And if since Jorge Martin announced his departure from the brand, Aprilia really needs a new rider for next year, Davide Brivio insists: "ItThis is a Trackhouse initiative, and maybe this team is just different from the others. We have the opportunity to offer a test to a young driver. Of course, we would like to do it for several, not just one. This time it's for him, maybe next time it will be someone else, I don't know.

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