No points doesn’t necessarily mean no impression. Marcel Schrötter believes that his short comeback in Moto2 was quite remarkable. After the race at the Sachsenring, he reflected on his performance and did not rule out a permanent return. However, the German’s first choice for the future lies elsewhere.
Lack of Pirelli experience prevents even better results for Schrötter
With 17th place, the Bavarian missed the points at his home race by just six tenths. He was quite happy with that: “The guys here are in top form, they have raced and been testing. Should I just get on there and drive in the top 10? From that point of view, it was completely within my capabilities.” But the ambition of a racing driver was still evident: “Of course you are a little disappointed that you didn’t manage the little highlight of getting a point. But in this case, just a few people dropped out. But on the whole, apart from the last four laps, I am happy.” Then there was the special atmosphere: “It was a lot of fun to feel the support of the fans.”
Schrötter faced a particular challenge. Although he has many years of Moto2 experience, he had never ridden the Pirelli tires introduced in 2024 before the races in Assen and at the Sachsenring. Pirelli also supplies his main racing series, but that didn’t bring him any benefits: “I would have expected it to be much more similar, but unfortunately I can’t take anything from my supersport bike.” In the end, both products only have the manufacturer in common: “The tires and rims are different dimensions. This makes the whole handling different.”
With a little more experience on the Pirelli tires, Schrötter would probably be able to achieve good results in Moto2 again. Is a permanent return conceivable? The answer is surprising: “If it makes sense in terms of the overall package, then that is an option for me. But if we remain realistic, then the other championship would be [Supersport-WM] with the chance of promotion to the Superbike World Championship, that makes more sense in the long term.”
Superbike World Championship calls, but not for better or for worse
He explains this primarily with the nature of Moto2 as a junior series: “I am at an age where I am not really interested in this championship.” At 31, Schrötter is no longer a young driver. The winner of the race at the Sachsenring was Fermin Aldeguer is a teenager. Therefore, moving up from the Supersport to the Superbike World Championship is the preferred choice. The current world champion there, Alvaro Bautista, for example, is already 39 years old.
But the path to the Superbike World Championship is complicated. Bonovo Action, currently the best option for him, is withdrawing next year. His chances are therefore few and far between: “In the Superbike World Championship there are only a few teams that make sense in terms of the team, the material and financially. It is clear that I do not have a sponsorship budget that will simply pay for my starting place.”
That’s probably why he’s thinking about returning to Moto2. Schrötter doesn’t want to just ride along: “I would have had one or two opportunities to ride Superbike last year. But if I’m fighting for 19th place, that’s no fun. I chose the better path, even if it’s – in quotation marks – only Supersport. But of course it’s more fun to fight for the podium.” He is currently fourth in the World Championship and has achieved four podium places in eight races. He certainly wants to improve on this record over the rest of the season.