Lecuona back in MotoGP? “I’ll never say it’s impossible!”

Last weekend, Superbike ace Nicolo Bulega, together with his Aruba Ducati team-mate Iker Lecuona, caused a sensation at Misano. The pair secured three one-two finishes, proving once again that they are the ones to beat in this year’s production-based world championship.

A week earlier, Lecuona had made an appearance in the MotoGP World Championship at the Balaton Park Circuit, where he put in an impressive performance. In Sunday’s Grand Prix, the stand-in for Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) finished in 7th place.

The 26-year-old spent two years in MotoGP – with the KTM Tech3 team – in 2020 and 2021. This was followed by a move to the Superbike World Championship. Following his strong showing in the premier class in Hungary – could Lecuona envisage returning to MotoGP at some point, should the opportunity arise? “I’ll never say it’s impossible! I learnt that as a child,” said the Spaniard in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “You see, when I was a child, I often told my father that something was impossible – for example, during training sessions. He would always say to me: ‘Nothing is impossible!’ After a few attempts, I always managed it. So even as a child, I removed the word ‘impossible’ from my vocabulary.”

This season, it will be difficult for Lecuona to clinch the World Superbike Championship title, as his team-mate Bulega is currently in impressive form. He has recently won 25 Superbike races in a row and has scored seven hat-tricks this season. In 2026, Lecuona finished second 18 times across seven race weekends. In the overall standings, he trails Bulega by 121 points.

In 2027, Bulega will move to VR46 Racing in MotoGP. By then at the latest, Iker Lecuona will be the leading contender for the Superbike World Championship title. He’ll be 27 next year, which means he wouldn’t be too old to start a second career in the premier class of the World Motorcycle Championship. “I’m not focusing on MotoGP at the moment, and I’m very happy in the Superbike World Championship. I’m relaxed and have an incredible team with a very good bike behind me,” emphasised Lecuona. “Thinking about MotoGP right now would be a mistake. But I don’t want to say that I don’t want to go there, or that I want to stay here for my entire career. If the opportunity arose, I’d weigh up the pros and cons. Then I’d decide, together with my manager – with whom I have a very good relationship – whether to return to MotoGP or stay here. At the moment I’m not thinking about it, but never say never.”

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07.08.2026 - 10:55