Andrea Adamo enjoyed the standout moment of his rookie MXGP season so far at Teutschenthal as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider secured his first premier class podium.
The Italian, who stepped up to the MXGP class in 2026 has shown flashes of his potential throughout the season. However, in Germany everything came together as he claimed second overall and proved he belongs among the sport’s elite riders.
Despite a difficult opening moto that looked to leave a podium finish unlikely, Adamo refused to give up and produced an excellent second race to secure his first MXGP podium.
“It’s amazing. I mean it’s my first podium in my rookie season and there are so many fast guys out there. There are many world champions, many world titles so the line between third to tenth is really thin. I didn’t have the best first moto, the feeling was good but unfortunately I came together with Ruben. I crashed and went back to ninth before finishing seventh so I lost a little bit the hopes for the podium. In these conditions a little bit of everything can happen. Romain (Febvre) broke the engine in first moto while Maxime (Renaux) and Tim (Gajser) had a bad start – Jeffrey had a technical issue as well. I don’t think I took the holeshot but in the second corner I nailed it around the outside and took the lead and then I did everything to lose the lead on lap one from Lucas and then also Jeffrey got me. I’m at the point where following is almost more easy than leading at the moment because I learn quite good when I’m behind. I was close to Jeffrey and then I had to keep Romain behind me, that was needed for the podium but it was not so easy. I managed to finish in third for second overall so I’m really happy with it”, Adamo stated.
While Adamo knew keeping Romain Febvre behind him was important for the overall classification, he admitted he was not fully aware that a podium finish was on the line during the closing stages of the race.
“I actually didn’t know it was for the podium, I knew that Romain was a little bit out of the overall because he had a technical issue in moto one but if he passed me he would take away two points so I needed to try and stay in front and that’s what I did. I was a little bit nervous and getting nervous with 450cc is not the best thing so I try to stay calm and breathe. I managed to finish in third so I’m happy”.
Although the result represents a major milestone in his MXGP career, Adamo insists he is not allowing expectations to get ahead of reality. The Italian came into the season focused on development rather than championship ambitions and remains committed to that approach.
“The expectations are not so high. I mean, I’m not coming into the season expecting to be in the fight for the championship. Just before the season I imagine my season as learning in every race. Some races will be good, some will be not so good but learning, keep pushing, don’t give up and learn. That has been the main goal for this season”.
One of the biggest adjustments for Adamo has been adapting to the experience and race craft of the MXGP field. Competing against multiple world champions every weekend has provided a steep learning curve, but one that he is embracing.
“The guys in MXGP are smart. They are more smart than MX2 guys, I have the feeling that when I had to make pass in MX2 that it is a little bit easier than the 450cc. But in MXGP, like I said before, there are eight world champions and to win a world title is not easy. You need to be smart and their race craft and their riding style is another level. When you see from the TV, it looks that intensity in MXGP is lower than the MX2 but it’s not really like that. The intensity is more or less the same even though the bike is so powerful and it’s heavy. I still need to eat some pasta because I’m still pretty light on the 250cc weight and sometimes I feel it. You know, Jeffrey turned up the pace at one point and I couldn’t follow otherwise I would have crashed 100% so I need to add some kilos”, concluded Adamo.
For Adamo, the podium in Germany is a reward for months of hard work and adaptation. More importantly, it serves as confirmation that he is making the right progress in one of the most competitive MXGP fields in recent memory. With his confidence growing and valuable lessons being learned every weekend, the KTM rider will be hoping this breakthrough result is the first of many as he continues his development in the premier class.
