Forward sensation Alex Escrig (3rd): “We missed a lot of opportunities in 2026”

Back in the 2025 Moto2 season, Alex Escrig already secured a number of top-10 finishes and springing a few surprises with the unconventional Forward chassis. This year, the Spaniard has regularly been among the frontrunners in both practice sessions and races. There is no doubt that Pedro Acosta’s mate is a talented rider. However, the improvement in his performance this season is also down to the fact that the Forward bike works perfectly in tandem with the WP suspension, which the underdog team has been using since 2026.

Escrig had already achieved several top-10 finishes in 2026, even finishing fourth in Brazil. The only thing missing so far had been a podium finish – until the British Grand Prix. At Silverstone, Escrig secured eighth on the grid for his Forward in qualifying. In the race, Escrig was initially a second behind the leading quartet battling for victory in the final laps. Manuel Gonzalez, Ivan Ortola, Filip Salac and Daniel Holgado were locked in a thrilling battle. Following a costly mistake by championship leader Gonzalez, the order was shaken up once again. As a reminder: at the end of the penultimate lap, the Intact rider believed the race was over. Gonzalez was already celebrating victory and eased off the throttle slightly – Holgado crashed into the rear of his bike, causing the exhaust on the Spaniard’s Kalex to bend.

With Gonzalez falling back, Salac, Ortola, Holgado and now Escrig were all in contention. All four were bunched closely together at the start of the final lap. Then Holgado’s rear wheel slipped out from under him, but he just managed to avoid a crash. This worked in Escrig’s favour – he slipped through to take third place. In the meantime, Salac and Ortola had pulled away. Escrig kept his nerve and crossed the finish line in third place – it was his first podium finish in the World Motorcycle Championship.

Alex Escrig auf der Forward

Foto: Gold & Goose

Alex Escrig: “It wasn’t entirely unexpected”

“Looking back at the weekend, it wasn’t entirely unexpected,” said Escrig after the race. “I was riding very well and had good pace. I felt I could do it – even after qualifying on Saturday, I was very calm. I might not have set the lap time to secure a front-row grid position, but I found it easy. I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved. After all the work we put into the bike, we’ve achieved something brilliant.”

Before the race weekend, Escrig wasn’t yet sure whether he could secure his first Moto2 podium at Silverstone. “If you’d asked me on Thursday, I’d have said that a place in the top five or top eight was possible,” said the 22-year-old. “It’s a fast circuit that I really like, but I’m up against the top riders in the Moto2 World Championship, who are really quick. I now believe we can achieve even more in the next few races. I can be one of the riders who’s right up there at the front in every race.”

What is making Alex Escrig so fast this season? “We’ve already missed out on a lot of opportunities this season. I’m very fast this year, but we’ve often made small mistakes,” he mused. “I really like the bike and I feel very comfortable on it. Perhaps I now understand what the bike needs. What’s more, the bike has improved significantly – last year, top-10 finishes were possible, but no podium. We’re continuing to improve and know what it takes to get better. We’re now starting to be consistently up there at the front – regardless of the other riders. Now we need to understand what was missing for us to win at Silverstone.”