Lorenzo Fellon: Rising again after Moto3 struggles

Most motorcycle racing fans remember Lorenzo Fellon for the years he spent in the Moto3 World Championship, where he raced from 2021 to 2023, first for two years with Sic58 Squadra Corse and then for one year with CIP Green Power.

The time spent in the MotoGP paddock proved to be very demanding for him, as he scored only a few points finishes and one top ten result (at Phillip Island in 2023). However, the French rider began rebuilding his career in the European Moto2 Championship, where he stood out on several occasions, and 2026 has brought him an important commitment in two different championships, which he is facing with a very clear goal for the future.

Palmen in Motorradsport interviewed Lorenzo Fellon to talk about this season, as well as his years in the World Championship, which he discussed with great honesty, and much more, including memories of his father, Laurent Fellon.

Lorenzo, can you remind us what you'll be doing in the 2026 season?

This year I’ll be racing in the EURO MOTO Supersport series with the Kawasaki Weber team and in the Stock European Championship, within MotoJunior, with the SF Racing team. It will be a demanding season, with two completely different challenges. On one side there is the Kawasaki, a bike that is not easy to understand and on which we will have to work a lot to fully figure it out and make the most of it. On the other side, in MotoJunior, we already know the value of both the bike (the Yamaha R6, ed) and the team.

In EURO MOTO, my goal is to learn and improve race after race, and hopefully reach the podium in some events. In the Stock ECh, my goal is clearly to fight for the championship.

You come from two seasons in the European Moto2 Championship. Why weren’t you able to continue there?

Unfortunately, Moto2 requires a very large budget and the cost of crashes is significant as well. With the limited financial resources that I bring, I often found myself riding without the peace of mind I needed, because I knew that an accident would have serious financial consequences for me and the team. When you race with that thought in your head, you can’t fully express yourself and ride at the limit. That’s why I decided to take a step back in terms of category, with the aim of getting back to the front, achieving results and rebuilding myself for the future.

Looking at the future, what are your goals for the next years?

My dream is to secure a place in the Supersport World Championship. The level keeps getting higher, with many riders coming from the Moto2 and Moto3 world championships, and it’s exciting to compete against such people. I hope to earn a contract for 2027, but I know it will depend mainly on me and on what I can do with the opportunities I have this year.

Let’s go back and talk about your career. How did it all begin?

I started in a small championship in France when I was ten years old. I won it, but the level was not particularly high, so we immediately decided to move to Spain, where the level is much higher. I raced in the Catalan championship against riders such as Adrián Cruces, Joel Esteban, and Eric Fernandez. It was a crucial experience for learning, racing on a 70cc two-stroke RMU machine. After two years, I moved up to the Spanish PreMoto3 Championship with Ajo Motorsport, where I had as teammates also Barry Baltus and Adrián Fernandez. We managed to achieve good results, but I was still very young and also very light: I had to race with a 10-kg ballast.

And then you moved to the FIM CEV, starting from the European Talent Cup.

In 2018 I went to the ETC, still with Ajo and with Adrián Fernández as my teammate, and at the end of the year I was selected for the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. 2019 was probably one of the most important years for my development. In the Rookies Cup I finished fifth overall against riders such as Pedro Acosta, Carlos Tatay, David Salvador and Barry Baltus. I never reached the podium, but I achieved many top six finishes.

Meanwhile I was racing again in the European Talent Cup, where I earned pole positions and several important results, coming close to the podium on a number of occasions.I raced against riders such as José Antonio Rueda, David Alonso, Diogo Moreira, Ivan Ortolá, and Izan Guevara, who won the title and had something extra. I remember that year for the many great battles and very enjoyable races.

Then came the move to the Moto3 Junior World Championship.

After a strong 2019 campaign, Monlau and Estrella Galicia showed great interest in me and I moved up with them to the Moto3 Junior World Championship. In 2020, however, COVID arrived and we all experienced a very unusual season. We still managed to achieve excellent results, including a fourth place finish, several near podiums, and a front row qualifying result behind Pedro Acosta. My teammates were José Antonio Rueda and Diogo Moreira, and the three of us were all at a similar level.

How did the opportunity to move to the Moto3 World Championship come?

At that point I had to make an important decision. I could either stay in the Junior World Championship or move directly to the Moto3 World Championship. I ultimately did the latter, thanks to a sponsor who had supported me for years and strongly believed in me. I received several offers, including one from Max Biaggi’s Max Racing Team. The problem was that KTM wanted to choose the riders for that team, and in the end they chose someone else (Adrián Fernández, ed). So I joined the Sic58 Squadra Corse team.

What were those years like?

The first year was extremely difficult. The opening races were very challenging, as I was always at the back of the field, and from there I lost confidence and never really regained it fully. Fortunately, things improved in 2022, because I started scoring points and also achieved some strong qualifying performances and a few starts from the first rows. In races, however, I still felt I was missing something in group battles.

Later we looked for a KTM, because at that time Honda were suffering compared to KTM, and I eventually ended up racing with the CIP Green Power team, also because the French federation (FFM, ed) strongly pushed for a French rider to race with a French team. The problem was that I suffered a shoulder injury and, because of then surgery, I had to miss eight races. That’s how my Moto3 chapter came to an end, not the way I would have wanted.

Do you think you moved to the Moto3 World Championship too early?

I think so. Looking back today, it might have been better to stay in the Junior World Championship for one more season, instead of moving up to Grand Prix racing already in 2021. In the CEV, I was fast and often able to stay ahead of riders like Diogo Moreira and José Antonio Rueda, who were my teammates. They both stayed there for another one or two years and by doing so, they gained more experience and arrived in the world championship fully prepared. They ultimately made the right choice.

How did you experience those years in Moto3?

They were very difficult years mentally. I was one of the few French riders in the paddock at a time when Fabio Quartararo had just won the MotoGP World Championship and Johann Zarco was a leading figure there. Expectations were high, and after the results I had achieved in the junior categories, I also expected much more from myself. French television always supported me and never put pressure on me, but I felt the weight of the public’s expectations.

I even reached the point where I was embarrassed to leave the Simoncelli team truck, even just to go to the hospitality area. I would ask my father to bring me food in the truck. I didn’t feel comfortable with walking around the paddock, because I felt like everyone was judging me. It was probably just something I built on my own mind, but that was how I experienced it at the time, and it was very hard to deal with.

You speak Italian very well. How did you learn it?

I already had some basics thanks to the years spent with the Sic58 team, because Paolo Simoncelli speaks almost exclusively Italian, and I had to work hard to communicate with him. And now I speak it regularly: my girlfriend is Italian, so I had to learn it and SF Racing Team is Italian as well.

What memories do you have of Paolo Simoncelli?

Paolo is unique and I wouldn’t know which particular episode to choose. What I remember most are his motivational talks and the way he always tried to help the riders, also for what we talked about before. In general, I really enjoyed working with that team: they truly do everything possible with the resources they have available, and despite the technical disadvantages compared to KTM, they work exceptionally well. Traveling with them throughout the World Championship is an experience I will always carry with me.

Looking back, I somewhat regret the decision to leave the team after 2022, because the atmosphere within the team was special. We also have some good memories together, like the front row start at Portimão and fourth place in qualifying at Barcelona in 2022.

Your father Laurent played a fundamental role in your development. What did he teach you?

He basically taught me everything. The most important thing was discipline. From a very young age he made me study circuits in great detail: we would take track maps and note every reference point useful for riding. That same approach had worked with Zarco and it helped myself as well, as it allowed me to reach the Moto3 World Championship. He also taught me to work hard in any conditions: rain, cold, wind. Training consistently and adapting to any situation was fundamental to my development.

In conclusion, is there anyone you would particularly say “thank you” to?

Definitely Fabio (Perciballi, ed), who is the owner of SF Racing. When he welcomed me into the team in 2024, we didn’t know each other very well, but over time he became a fundamental figure in my life. He helped me both as a person and as a rider, almost like a father. He has done so much to allow me to keep racing, working every winter to find opportunities and helping me stay on track as much as possible. For that I will always be grateful to him. I also want to thank my girlfriend, Gaia, who supports me every day and is an important part of my life. Fabio and Gaia are the only people I really want to thank.

Why?

Many people were interested in me when I was racing in the world championship, but disappeared as soon as I left that paddock. Unfortunately, that is often how this sport works. One day you achieve a great result and everyone is looking for you. The next day you go through a difficult period and it seems as though you no longer exist. I don’t think I’m the first or the last rider to experience a situation like that. It was a tough lesson, but an important one. It taught me to distinguish between those who genuinely support you and those who are interested only in results.

Palmen in Motorradsport thanks Lorenzo Fellon for his time. Best wishes to him, and to both SF Racing and Kawasaki Weber Motos teams, for the next races and seasons.