What Is the Role of a MotoGP Team Principal?

The MotoGP team principal role is one of the most important in the World Championship, with the best performing managers being highly regarded and sought after within the sport.

The MotoGP team principal’s responsibilities can include leadership, strategy, rider management, technical coordination, media duties, recruitment and team performance.

What is a MotoGP team principal’s role?

A MotoGP team principal is the senior operational leader responsible for management of the personnel and the sporting and technical aspects of a racing team.

They usually work at team HQ away from races and then, during Grands Prix weekends, they will be found in the team garage or on the pit-wall during sessions and races. They make strategic decisions and act as the central link between the MotoGP riders, engineers, mechanics, factory management, MotoGP Race Direction and the championship organisers.

In certain MotoGP team structures, the job title for the person in a team principal role is given as Team Manager or Team Director.

Depending on the exact structure of the team and the specific expertise of the senior staff, the defined responsibilities of the Team Principal, Director or Manager can vary somewhat. In this in-depth guide to the role we’ll meet some of the most experienced managers in MotoGP and see how their job role differs from other key staff such as the team’s crew chiefs, senior mechanics, lead engineers and other team logistics managers.

MotoGP Team Principals in 2026

This is the list of MotoGP Team Principals and Team Managers for the 2026 MotoGP season:

• Davide Tardozzi (Team Manager) - Ducati Lenovo Team
• Massimo Meregalli (Team Director) - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
• Alberto Puig (Team Manager) - Honda HRC Castrol
• Aki Ajo (Team Manager) - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
• Paolo Bonora (Team Manager) - Aprilia Racing
• Nadia Padovani (Team Principal) – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP
• Pablo Nieto (Team Manager) - VR46 Racing Team
• Paolo Campinoti (Team Principal) - Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
• Lucio Cecchinello (Team Principal) - LCR Honda
• Davide Brivio (Team Principal) - Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team
• Nicolas Goyon (Team Manager) - Red Bull KTM Tech3

Main MotoGP team principal responsibilities

A MotoGP team principal’s responsibilities cover the overall organisation and direction of the team. They manage senior staff, define the internal structure of the team and ensure that engineers, mechanics, analysts and logistics personnel are working effectively together.

They also set performance targets and priorities for the season, while maintaining team unity and morale during the pressure of a race campaign.

Here is some further insight into the responsibilities the role typically entails:

Race weekend oversight and decision-making

During Grand Prix weekends, the team principal oversees the team’s operations from the garage and pit wall.

While technical decisions are led by the crew chief and engineers, the team principal provides high-level oversight, supports key decisions and manages risk in critical moments such as strategy calls, mitigation of penalties, adherence to regulations and changing race conditions.

Rider management and performance support

Team principals also play an important role in managing the relationship with the riders. This includes maintaining open communication, helping riders deal with pressure and expectations, and supporting their long-term development within the team.

Technical direction

Although they are usually not directly involved in engineering work, team principals guide the overall technical direction of the project. They help ensure effective collaboration between riders, crew chiefs, engineers and factory departments while supporting long-term development goals.

Sponsorship, media and brand representation

Team principals represent the team publicly through media interviews, sponsor events and official MotoGP activities, helping to maintain strong commercial partnerships and upholding the team’s public image. They must also be prepared to handle crisis communication when needed.

Crew chief vs Team principal vs Lead engineer

The exact management structure of each MotoGP team is different and therefore the role of the Team Principal, Team Manager or Team Director can be considerably different depending on the manufacturer and team.

In the ‘Factory’ teams – where the team is officially representing and supported by a manufacturer – the management structure and roles can be significantly different to those in a ‘Satellite/Independent’ team,  where the team typically leases their bikes from the supplying manufacturer.

In the official Honda factory team, Honda HRC Castrol, Alberto Puig is the Team Manager and he works for Taichi Honda (HRC Director – General Manager Race Operations Management Division), supported by Romano Albesiano (HRC Technical Director), Mikihiko Kawese (HRC Technical Manager) and Harry Lloyd (Head of Marketing, Sponsorship & Communications).

Puig therefore oversees the performance of the riders and the work of Joan Mir’s crew chief Santi Hernández (official job title Chief Engineer), as well as Luca Marini’s crew chief Cristhian Pupulin (also called Chief Engineer).

Meanwhile, Hernandez and Pupulin handle the main technical work and sporting communications with the riders, assisting them in optimising results, supported by a crew of analysts, engineers, mechanics and technicians.

In the Satellite Honda team Castrol Honda LCR there is a smaller management structure, with boss Lucio Cecchinello holding the job title of Team Principal. Cecchinello is supported by Christophe Bourguignon as Technical Director.

Cecchinello and Bourguignon oversee the work of Johann Zarco’s Crew Chief David Garcia and rookie rider Diogo Moreira’s Crew Chief Klaus Nöhles.

So the job titles, exact job spec and operational responsibilities for Team Principals and Managers really does vary widely from team to team.

Generally the split in responsibilities between those working in a MotoGP team is as follows

What does a team principal do during a MotoGP race weekend?

During a MotoGP Grand Prix weekend, the team principal oversees the team’s operations, supports key decisions and represents the team externally.

Their work evolves as the Grand Prix progresses:

•   Tuesday and Wednesday – set-up: Arrival at the track, overseeing set-up of the pit box (team garage) and ensuring the riders and crews have everything they need for the specifics of the MotoGP circuit in question.
•   Thursday – preparation and media: Attend press conferences, sponsor events and internal meetings with riders, crew chiefs and engineers to review plans for the weekend.
•   Friday – practice oversight: Observe practice sessions, review performance and discuss early feedback with the technical staff.
•   Saturday – Qualifying and Sprint: Support strategic decisions around qualifying runs, tyre choices and Sprint race approach.
•   Sunday – Grand Prix and debrief: Oversee final race prep, monitor the race from the garage or pit wall, then lead post-race discussions and review performance for the next Grand Prix.

How a strong MotoGP team principal can improve results

A strong team principal will positively influence results by shaping the team environment and decision-making processes.

Over time, consistent management and a close working culture can help teams progress faster in technical development. Just as importantly, strong leadership can support rider confidence, allowing them to focus on performance and consistency.

Key figures in the MotoGP Team Principal role

Team Manager of the Ducati Lenovo Team, Davide Tardozzi is an Italian former WorldSBK rider. He was a race winner in WorldSBK as a rider and went on to be a highly successful team manager in the series, winning several World Championships, before repeating that success in his MotoGP team management role.

Reporting in to the leader of Ducati’s MotoGP project Luigi “Gigi” Dall'Igna (General Manager), Tardozzi has been a key figure in the Constructors’ World titles won by the Italian brand and the Riders’ World Championships of Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia (2022 and 2023) and Marc Marquez (2025).

Speaking to motogp.com, Tardozzi explained his approach to MotoGP team management, saying, “You have to learn from the others in your team. Sometimes I am sitting in the garage and listening and looking, and you always learn from your colleagues. I love to do this. I honestly can do this even for free, but don't tell Ducati!”

“This is my life. That's why I think that sometimes I can add very good ideas or do some good things. In the end I also made mistakes, but I was very well supported by my teammates, by Gigi (Dall'Igna), by everybody.”

“Having a good team connection, I think that improves performance,” Tardozzi adds. “The riders sense it. When they sit on their chair, while the mechanics are working, they are there looking at who is speaking with who, who is working with who. If they see that there is a very good connection, that there is a very good feeling, they want to show that they are part of this with the results.”

Another highly successful Italian in MotoGP team management is Davide Brivio, Team Principal of the Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team.

Brivio worked for Yamaha from 2001 to 2010, famously helping manage World Championship victories for the team with MotoGP Legend Valentino Rossi as their star rider, including Rossi’s first title win with the Iwata-based factory in 2004, straight after the rider switched from Honda.

Together, Brivio and Yamaha enjoyed great success with five riders' championships (Rossi in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 and Jorge Lorenzo in 2010) and four constructors' championships (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010).

Brivio then also worked for Suzuki from 2013 to 2020, bringing the Japanese manufacturer back into MotoGP in 2015 and managing them to title success in the premier class in 2020 with Joan Mir on the GSX-RR.

When the ambitious American Trackhouse team came into MotoGP in 2024, Brivio was the man charged with creating a competitive package for the squad with their Aprilia RS-GP machinery.

“I have always been passionate about motorcycle racing, and when I was a child, I was dreaming about working in racing,” Brivio told motogp.com in a 2024 interview. “So I can say now it's a dream come true. When I was young, I was thinking maybe to be a mechanic, working in a team. I even raced a few races in motocross when I was young at the regional level, but I was very bad!”

“There was no way I could be a rider. So that's why I thought, having this passion, I thought I have to find something else to be involved in the racing and that's how the thing started.

On his many career achievements and the highlights that stand out for him, Brivio states, “I think winning the World Championships and especially the first World Championship with Valentino (Rossi) was something incredible because at that time, Yamaha was coming from 12 years without winning any title.”

“But also it was great what we have done with Suzuki because when I started to work with Suzuki, it was 2013 and basically in Japan, they were developing the bike. They were designing the bike, building the bike, creating the bike, but there was nothing as far as the logistics, the team, the organization was concerned.”

“So we really started from a white paper,” Brivio added. “We started to race in 2015 and to win the championship after six years was an incredible achievement. So these two are probably the greatest moments, but of course I had many, many more.”

The important role of the MotoGP Team Principal

So overall from these examples we have seen the main areas of expertise and the strong experience which MotoGP Team Principals must possess in order to fulfil the role successfully.

Their job includes race strategy, communication with riders and maintaining team performance under intense pressure during race weekends.

Team principals represent the team publicly and internally, they communicate with the manufacturer, manage staff and coordinate development/technical priorities across races and testing.

Ducati manager Tardozzi emphasises his role as managing the pit box culture, supporting riders psychologically and ensuring good cooperation between staff, engineers, mechanics and riders, in order to produce the required results on track.

Successful principals like Tardozzi and Brivio are able to combine leadership qualities, technical understanding and positive people management, leading teams to multiple World Championships by aligning riders, engineers and factory resources toward a shared, competitive strategy.