Overview
- Red Bull KTM Tech3 selected Jonas Folger to race the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, with Maverick Viñales still out after shoulder surgery.
- Doctors at Red Bull’s Athlete Performance Centre advised Viñales to skip Le Mans, with his home race in Barcelona mid-May the target for a return.
- MotoGP rules require each team to field two riders unless more than 10 days separate races, which pushed Tech3 to secure a stand-in on short notice.
- KTM had no in-house fallback after Pol Espargaró injured his left hand in dirt-track training and Dani Pedrosa said he will not race again.
- The shortage has revived talk of mandatory reserve riders, as Tech3 owner Guenther Steiner questioned bikes sitting idle and Motorsport.com reported the idea is under study.