Moto2: Vierge extends Petronas Sprinta deal for 2021 Moto2

Xavi Vierge will remain with the Petronas Sprint Racing team for the 2021 Moto2 World Championship, it has been confirmed.

The Spaniard - though still only 23 - is one of the longer serving riders on the Moto2 grid having made his debut in 2015 but is in the midst of his best campaign yet and currently sits seventh in the overall standings after eight races.

Having joined the Malaysian-backed team at the start of the 2020 season, Vierge is delighted to have continuity for 2021 as he looks to step up and become a title contender next year.

“Thank you so much to the team for believing in me and keeping me for another year, I am so happy. From the moment I joined I felt so comfortable with all the team and my crew; this is one of the reasons why I want to continue with them. 

“Moto2 is a difficult class and I think staying with the same team, bike and crew will be crucial for us. This year, even though it has been a strange season, we have made progress each race, getting closer to our objectives and if we continue like this next year it will be amazing. We have made some mistakes but we learn from them and improve for the future. 

“For now, our objective stays the same: to be in the top-five every race, to fight for podiums and victories, and then we see how we can finish this championship. Of course next year will be the same, but we want to be in the top positions every race to fight for the championship.”

With team owner Razlan Rizali having previously singled out Vierge as a candidate for a MotoGP ride with the Petronas SRT Yamaha squad in the future, team director Johan Stigefelt is pleased to have continue developing him.

“I’m really happy to be continuing with Xavi in Moto2, as we have seen the progress he’s made since he joined the team. It’s important that he is able to continue with the same set-up for a second year. 

“It’s also great for the team to keep a rider like Xavi, as they can start in a better position than this year: they know each other, know how they work best together, their strengths and which weaknesses to work on from the start. 

“We have great hope for Xavi in the future and it’s a pleasure to be able to continue with him. Thank you to everyone involved and our partners for believing in this programme, let’s see what we can achieve in 2021.”