Jonas Folger plans full Moto2 return in 2020

Upon the completion of his stand-in appearances at the Petronas Sprinta team, Jonas Folger set his sights on securing a full-time Moto2 seat for 2020.

Although the German - a factory test rider for Yamaha, after his MotoGP career was curtailed by illness - didn't score points in his three Petronas rides, he showed flashes of his previous form by leading FP1 at Sachsenring and had 'top ten' race pace.

"I’m very satisfied with my performance today and it was a great experience for me personally to be at the Sachsenring again," said Folger, who qualified 20th and finished 17th in his final replacement ride for the injured Khairul Idham Pawi.

"This weekend was by far better than Assen and Barcelona. I'm happy that I've significantly improved my riding skills and I'm also happy that it was the first race in which I raced more aggressively and had a lot more self-confidence.

"I'm getting back into race mode more and more… So, the fighting spirit is gradually coming back.

"Our pace would have been enough to finish in the top ten. That also means an important improvement, underlined by our gap to the race winner’s time [+18s]. For the third race in my comeback, that's okay.

"So now it's a matter of focusing my practice much more on the current Moto2 class with the new Triumph engines. I just have to increase my feeling for this package and its characteristics.

"This should also be the first step towards the preparations for next year.

"I've made the decision that I want to race again in Moto2 next year, and I hope I can find a team as good as this one.

"I've got the desire to race again. During the last three races I quickly realised that the fire is still there. The urge and willingness for racing has become all the stronger.

"Occasionally we've shown very clearly that there's potential to be at the front of the field. But it takes time. This step can’t be done after one-and-a-half years off in only three races.

"But I’ve noticed that the passion has been rekindled and that I'll soon be able to return to my former strength.

"Therefore, from now on I’ll intensify my training and do everything in my power to find a powerful package for next year. I really want to return to this championship.

"Finally, my thanks to everyone who made this temporary comeback possible. To the Petronas team for the warm welcome and again to Yamaha for giving me their allowance to race these three races at all.

"Congratulations to Marcel [Schrotter]. I'm happy for him that he could finally enjoy this indescribable feeling of being on the podium at the home race."

While Petronas currently has only a single Moto2 entry, it is known to be seeking a second grid slot for 2020. And if that happens, Folger would surely be on the rider shortlist…

"It’s been good to see his progression with the team and nice to see him happy and smiling again," Sepang team director Johan Stigefelt said of Folger.

"In one way, it’s a shame we can’t continue with him but at the same time it’ll be great to get KIP [Pawi] back [at Brno].

"I want to thank Jonas for being so professional and helping the team to gather crucial feedback and become more competitive with the bike."

Folger won three times in Moto2 before joining MotoGP with Tech3 Yamaha in 2017, where he took a podium at his home German round before his premier-class career came to a sudden end due to severe fatigue issues.

Although Folger has expressed interest in making a wild-card MotoGP appearance for Yamaha, nothing has so far been announced.