Scott Redding, ex-MotoGP, WorldSBK, and current BSB rider, thinks being British is a distinct disadvantage to those who want to compete at the highest level of motorcycle racing. That's the first time we've heard that particular angle, but not the first time the topic of nationalities being favored or unfavored in MotoGP has come up.

Out of the 22-rider lineup, 15 are from either Spain or Italy, making up 68% of the grid. Liberty Media put in place an incentive whereby Moto3 and Moto2 teams could win up to €200,000 if their riders won and weren't from Spain or Italy, thus incentivising those teams to pick potentially less talented prospects if said riders aren't from Spain or Italy. Whether you agree with the incentive or not, Redding saw firsthand how other nationalities had the upper hand in terms of outside help.

On a recent Scruff Bags podcast, Redding said, “That was always a thing that was spoken about, and it plays a part. But the biggest part is the money and funding that Marc Marquez got and Scott Redding didn’t. I was riding [for] a third tier team (125cc class in 2008) winning a British Grand Prix, [while] Marc Marquez was riding a Repsol KTM at the time, which was the factory team. That was the start, [and] he was backed by Repsol, and when he went to Moto2, he had his own team and crew that all went to MotoGP with him. That was the difference, he had a lot of funding behind him.”

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If Redding left the topic there, insinuating that British riders are held back due to support, and that's the reason there aren't any British full-time MotoGP riders, I'd think it too simplistic. But Redding wasn't insinuating that, and even goes as far as to say some riders just use the 'British passport' problem as an excuse. What was most interesting, however, was the idea that the 33-year-old put forward to help homegrown talent.

Redding said, “I don’t think the British passport is all of it. I think the passport is the name people give it as an excuse as to why we don’t do more for our riders. Why don’t we have big British companies saying ‘we have one of the best British riders in the world, [who] has won a British Grand Prix, [and] the future is massive, so let’s go get him on that factory Red Bull bike.”

I don't agree with Liberty Media incentivising teams to choose other riders based on their nationality, especially in categories where riders have just come of age to pursue their dreams professionally. Redding's idea, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense. Homegrown businesses supporting homegrown talent would go a long way, just as Repsol supporting Marquez did. Do you agree with either take on how to diversify the MotoGP grid? Let us know in the comments.

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