Former MotoGP podium finisher Scott Redding believes “being British doesn’t make things any easier” and that “it’s crazy” there are no UK-born riders in the top class.
Britain hasn’t had a full-time rider on the MotoGP grid since 2020, when Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith competed in their final seasons.
In 2026, there are no British riders in MotoGP or in Moto2, after Jake Dixon – who made two premier class starts in 2021 – switched to World Superbikes for this year.
Britain’s last world title at any level came in 2015 in Moto3 with Danny Kent, while its last MotoGP podium was in 2019.
Speaking on the Full Chat podcast, Scott Redding, who scored two podiums across five seasons in MotoGP, weighed in on the lack of British talent in grand prix racing now.
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“Spain and Italy are the heart of this sport; that’s where the money is,” he began.
“I don’t want to speak badly about the championship – it’s the best in the world – but if we look at the riders on factory bikes, especially over the last three years, they’re all Spanish and Italian.
“Before Marc Marquez arrived in MotoGP, there was a rule that rookie riders had to race for one or two years on a satellite bike before moving up to a factory bike.
“Then it was abolished the year Marquez arrived, and he went straight to Repsol HRC.”
“When you’re at that level, you’re not only at a disadvantage because you’re riding a satellite bike most of the time, but also because of the funding issue,” he continued.
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“In addition to accepting sums that are nothing compared to what a Spaniard or an Italian would get, you also have to pay to train: you have to go to Spain and Italy to ride three times a week.
“They’re at home. They have the money; that’s where the championship grew, but now it seems to me that the situation is in their favour.”
He added: “There are excellent riders; I don’t want to take anything away from them, but there are some like Alex Rins who’s been riding an official Yamaha for a couple of years, and I ask myself, ‘Why?’
“He’s a good rider, but he’s had a lot of injuries and isn’t consistent.
“In my opinion, he shouldn’t be there, but he’s Spanish. Maybe there’s some small connection somewhere that could help him.
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“You have to play the hand you’re dealt, and being British doesn’t make things any easier. It’s crazy that there aren’t any British riders in MotoGP or Moto2.”
Redding moved to British Superbikes in 2019 and won the title with Ducati, before moving to World Superbikes in 2020.
He returned to BSB last year.
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