Romain Febvre claimed his fourth podium of the season in Portugal, and his fourth consecutive podium at Agueda (2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026). The reigning world champion has been consistently competitive since the start of the year, but Lucas Coenen and Jeffrey Herlings have still been operating at another level midway through the season. That momentum helps explain the growing gap in the championship, with the Frenchman now trailing Lucas Coenen by 112 points, as the Belgian has been firmly established at the top of the MXGP standings for several weeks. Even so, Febvre was pleased with his performance at the tenth Grand Prix of the season, despite the title fight no longer being a realistic prospect heading into the second half of the championship.
Marco Kamper caught up with the reigning MXGP champion after the MXGP of Portugal.
“I felt pretty good right from Saturday in Portugal. It was nice to finally have a proper track with grip and good jumps. The last two GPs here have been muddy, so it was cool to have a really good weekend,” admitted the KRT rider at Agueda. “I enjoyed riding a lot more. We made a few small steps forward this weekend, but the two guys at the front are faster in every session. I’m there, trying to close the gap every time, but it isn’t easy. You can’t expect that to happen from one weekend to the next. That’s only something that happens in your dreams. I still need to keep working, but we’re making progress little by little. I’m happy that I finally managed to put together two good motos, even though I didn’t get a good start in the second one. I saw Tim was quite a long way ahead and I knew I had to get back to him quickly if I wanted to have a chance of catching him. That’s what I did, so I’m happy. My riding was good this weekend, even coming through the pack. In the second moto, Jeffrey and Lucas weren’t as far ahead as they were in the first.”
Often hindered by poor starts this season, the French rider has rarely had the opportunity to match the pace of the leaders from the beginning of a race. Forced to come through the field on numerous occasions, the factory Kawasaki rider has frequently found himself too far back by mid-race. Even so, Febvre has taken one race victory this year, winning the qualifying race in Germany after taking the holeshot into the opening corner.
“A good start would definitely have helped me this weekend. It’s always good to be out front, to latch onto the leaders’ pace and see which lines they’re taking. Right now, I don’t know if I’d actually be able to stay with them because they’re clearly a level above the rest of the field. It’s hard to say. But I felt like I was riding much better in the second moto. In the first moto I didn’t have a great pace, but I was stronger by the end of the day. With a better start, I’m not saying I could have fought with them, but I could have been a bit closer.”
For the previous two years, the Agueda Grand Prix had been run in muddy conditions. This year’s 2026 edition, held later in the season, enjoyed much better weather, and the Agueda circuit was widely praised by the riders for its surface and preparation, offering multiple passing opportunities—an issue that has been discussed frequently in recent years.
“It’s good to have ruts, but not everywhere. When they’re too big and too deep, it becomes really difficult to pass,” explained the Frenchman. “Once you’re in a line, you can’t get out of it. It’s also good to have tracks like this weekend where you can cut across in different places and create your own lines. That gives you opportunities to make passes. That’s why I was able to overtake so many riders this weekend. Jeffrey started around me in the first moto and he passed a lot of riders as well. In my opinion, you have far more passing options in conditions like these.”
Agueda has been a historic fixture on the MXGP calendar for more than 20 years, but the circuit underwent several layout changes this season, including moving the finish line. It took some riders a little time to adapt, with Febvre admitting he was still using the old finish line as his timing reference during the opening practice session.
“I walked the track on Friday and saw that the finish line had been moved. Even on Saturday before practice, Ben Watson and I were talking about it. But during free practice I was still using the old finish line as my reference point for my lap times! Even so, I was still well placed, fifth if I remember correctly. Then it suddenly clicked. I thought, ‘Damn, the finish line isn’t there anymore!’ My mechanic then put a pit board out to remind me they’d moved the finish jump. It was a really stupid mistake from me.”
After the Portuguese Grand Prix, Febvre also revealed that very few changes have been made to his Kawasaki KX450 since the Argentine Grand Prix. Comfortable with the factory Kawasaki, he continues to search for greater consistency off the start gate, which has been the team’s main focus since the beginning of the season.
“In Argentina we had different shock settings. We’d made a few changes before the opening round but couldn’t actually use them at the first race. For me, Argentina was one of the hardest GP’s. The bike wasn’t set up the way I wanted it. We made changes after Argentina and since then we haven’t really touched much. I’m not the type of rider who constantly complains about the bike. The main issue is the starts—we’re lacking consistency. Sometimes I get a great start and sometimes I get a really bad one. We’re working on it, but it takes time. I’m not the kind of rider who completely changes my bike from one GP to the next.”
Like several other top riders, Febvre has also become the subject of transfer rumours as the season reaches its halfway point. Courted by several manufacturers for the 2027 season, the Frenchman is expected to make a decision on his future soon. Having been spotted several times under the Triumph awning in recent weeks, Febvre admitted he does have an option with the British manufacturer, but stressed that his close relationship with the team stems from his previous spell there before the official Kawasaki team—then run by MX Esca under Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni—was taken over by Ice One Racing.
“For 2027, I have options. Triumph is like a second family to me because I raced for that team a few years ago when they were running the Kawasaki programme, and we had a really good relationship. I’m close with everyone there—the mechanics, the team owner. We all get on really well. We spent two years together. Even though they’re working with a different manufacturer now, those relationships are still there. As for next year, I do have options, but nothing has been finalised yet. We’ll see.”
Italy, Portugal, South Africa. For the first time in 18 years, the MXGP paddock will head to the African continent for round 11 of the 2026 World Championship. It will be a completely new experience for every rider, with none of them having previously raced at the Terra Topia circuit, which sits 1,500 metres above sea level.
“It will be the same for everyone,” concluded Febvre. “When you’re at altitude, you need to find good bike settings for the starts. Once you’re out on track it’s usually not much of a problem. In fact, it’s often easier to ride when the bike has a little less power. We’ll have to find the right solution for the starts. In terms of altitude, I think it’ll be similar to Mexico. It’ll be a first time there for all of us, so it’ll be a bit of a discovery, and everyone will be facing the same challenges. We’ll see how it goes.”
