MotoGP - Lack of young German riders in MotoGP - Alex Hofmann angry: It's a cultural issue!

Stefan Bradl , Marcel Schrötter, Sandro Cortese, and even Philipp Öttl – Germany has never boasted such big names in motorcycle racing as Formula 1's Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Nico Rosberg, but the country has always played a strong role in the Motorcycle World Championship. Starting with Werner Haas and Hermann Paul Müller in the 1950s, they have won a total of 18 world championship titles, most recently with Cortese in Moto3 in 2012.

However, especially in the last decade, the German presence in the Motorcycle World Championship has diminished. In 2024, for the first time in 73 years, no German regular rider competed in MotoGP, Moto2, or Moto3 ; only Lukas Tulovic was still somewhat flying the German flag in MotoE. Furthermore, German fans were able to enjoy six wildcard appearances for Bradl, including at his home race at the Sachsenring.

But that will end in 2025: In the wake of Honda's expansion of its test team with Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami, Bradl announced at the 2024 season finale that he would no longer compete in Grand Prix events . And since Tulovic simultaneously had to vacate his place with the Intact GP team in MotoE , the 2025 Motorcycle World Championship will now take place entirely without German participation – barring any unforeseeable replacement appearances after the summer break, like Schrötter's last year with Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2.

But even in such a case, German motorcycle racing appears to have reached a new low in 2025. There's no new talent in sight, and no German talent currently seems to have anything close to World Championship caliber. Rocco Sessler only managed to score eight points in the 2024 Red Bull Rookies Cup, and Loris Schönrock finished 42nd in the JuniorGP championship with no points at all. Other riders did not compete in the two highest junior classes. Even nations like Finland, Hungary, Poland, and Ireland seem to have overtaken Germany.

How did it come to this? Former MotoGP rider Alex Hofmann certainly doesn't see the lack of youth development as the main problem. "There's always a lot of complaining. I think we have a lot of good initiatives in Germany. We have the Mini GP. We have private talents trying to make it on their own. The Red Bull Rookies Cup is ready. When I look back on my time, these conditions weren't there," he commented on the Tante Louise podcast from 'Louis Motorradshop'. "Theoretically, the red carpet has been laid out. Even if part of that red carpet comes from Austria and runs into Germany because Red Bull and KTM are behind it. But if someone speaks German, then the carpet is red."

"Then the question is, why isn't anyone stepping on the carpet?" Hofmann continues, simultaneously offering an answer. "It's a bit of a question of society north of the Alps," the 106-time Grand Prix participant suspects. "We're more in administrative and comfort mode there. Any danger is avoided first. Parents are more helicopter-like than supportive; in southern countries, they approach things differently."

"When I go to the go-kart track where I live in Spain on a Sunday, there might be 10 to 15 little kids – five to seven years old – driving around on old, used minibikes in torn leather suits. Mom makes sandwiches in the background, and dad makes sure there's oil and gas. They really give it their all and have fun. It's a culture, like the way people in Germany go to a soccer field and chase the ball for two hours," Hofmann describes.

Especially in Spain, where most of the young talent in the Motorcycle World Championship comes from, people are simply a bit more relaxed about the potential dangers of motorsport – in general. "Children there are allowed to ride scooters and, at the age of 15, they can even get into traffic. Unfortunately, all of this is increasingly avoided in Germany. And then we shouldn't be surprised. They're still building new racetracks there, while we hardly have any opportunities to practice the sport here," Hofmann concludes.

What do you think about this topic? Be sure to share your opinion on the lack of young German talent in motorcycle racing in the comments! If you want to know why Alex Hofmann doesn't think much of MotoGP's modern technology, check out the following article: