Ivan Ortola (2nd) on the Moto2 chaos: “It went perfectly for me”

In his second Moto2 season, Ivan Ortola really hit his stride. The switch by his MSi team from Boscoscuro to Kalex also helped the Spaniard take a step forward. His first podium of the season at Le Mans was followed by his first Moto2 victory at Brno. After finishing fifth at Assen, Ortola also stood at the top of the podium at the Sachsenring.

At Silverstone, Ortola added to his points tally once again. In qualifying, he secured third on the grid with his Kalex. In the 17-lap race, he battled for victory right up to the finish line. He, too, benefited from a mistake by championship leader Manuel Gonzalez. As a reminder: At the end of the penultimate lap, the Intact rider thought 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.

Ortola was in fourth place at that point and was propelled up to third by his rival’s mistake. After overtaking Daniel Holgado (Aspar) on the final lap, he set off in pursuit of the race leader, Filip Salac (American Racing). But the Czech rider was unbeatable, and Ortola crossed the finish line in second place, three tenths of a second behind.

Ivan Ortola has thus secured three podium finishes in the last four races. With his strong performances, Ortola is also a contender for the World Championship title in 2026. He currently sits fourth in the overall standings, 64 points behind. “Anything is possible, but I don’t want to think about the championship because it puts me under pressure,” he clarified. “I don’t want any pressure, though – I just want to have fun and give my best in every race.”

Ivan Ortola on Gonzalez’s mistake: “It was mad!”

How did Ortola experience the situation with Manuel Gonzalez? “I was behind him. It was mad. But out on the track, I couldn’t see anywhere how many laps were left to go. So I had to look at my pit board,” the 22-year-old described the situation. “I then saw that Holgado had hit Manu. The exhaust on his bike was broken afterwards. I was able to overtake there and make up positions. With the slipstream, it was generally difficult to overtake other riders – I had to take a lot of risks and brake very hard. I also had to wait for the others to make mistakes in order to overtake. It all went perfectly for me.” Ortola thus benefited from Gonzalez’s mistake and the chaotic situation that followed immediately afterwards.

In the final corners, it was a close battle for victory, which Filip Salac ultimately won. Ortola is nevertheless very happy with the result. “Second place feels like a win to me. I’ve had a few races now where I’ve been very consistent – my aim is to keep this up until the end of the season.”

Ivan Ortola had a number of offers on the table from other Moto2 teams for 2027. He decided to stay with MSi. What were his reasons for doing so? “In the end, I chose my best option for the future. I think there are still lots of great things to come – I’m very happy to be part of this project,” said Ortola.