Lidl-Trek racer Aleix Espargaró switches back to MotoGP for 2026

MotoGP racer-turned-pro cyclist Aleix Espargaró is heading back to motorbikes in 2026 following a brief stint with Lidl-Trek.

The Spaniard joined the US team in an ambassador role last year while riding as a test rider for Honda during the MotoGP season. In the summer, he signed a deal with the team's development squad, Lidl-Trek Future Racing.

He went on to race the Spanish and British rounds of the MotoGP championship during the spring, finishing 17th in Spain.

On the bike, he competed at the Tour of Austria and Circuito de Getxo for Lidl-Trek during the summer, not finishing the former and taking 57th place at the latter one-day race.

"I'm very happy about how this year has gone, completely changing my life and everything I did before," Espargaró said upon signing a contract with Lidl-Trek. "It's been amazing to be part of such a big team like Lidl-Trek. I've grown a lot as a cyclist and learned many things in these six months."

Espargaró managed to combine the two sports in 2025, but his bosses at Honda have asked him to choose between one or the other for 2026. In the end, MotoGP took precedent.

"[Team manager] Alberto Puig knew my passion for bicycles, but he told me that if I was at Honda, I had to be more focussed on motorcycles," Espargaró told AS.

"I thought I could be in both worlds, and that hasn't been the case."

Espargaró, who turned 36 in July, will not leave cycling behind for good, however. He'll continue to train with Lidl-Trek when he has time away from MotoGP racing.