Andrea Locatelli

Before joining the Moto3 World Championship full-time in 2014, Andrea Locatelli was a 2012 Italian Honda NSR250R Trophy winner and 2013 CIV Moto3 champion.

Born in Alzano Lombardo, Italy, Locatelli’s first world championship ride came with the Mahindra Can Carlo Team Italia, however, this wasn’t Locatelli’s first Moto3 experience as he competed in two wildcard rounds during the 2013 Mugello and Misano Grand Prix’.

Locatelli’s stint with Mahindra lasted just one season as did his second year in the class with the Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda Team. With that said it was a much more successful campaign as Locatelli recorded seven points finishes as opposed to the zero of his rookie year. 

In 2016 Locatelli joined LeOpard Racing alongside Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo who are the last two MotoGP champions. That season was Locatelli’s best in the Grand Prix paddock as he claimed two second places at Sachsenring and Phillip Island. The two podium finishes were his last in Moto3 despite having one more season in 2017. 

The now 25 year-old then stepped up to Moto2 in 2018 but was unable to make his mark on the intermediate class. Touted as a future MotoGP rider when he first stepped into the world championship, Locatelli claimed just six top ten results in 38 Moto2 races which was a big reason for the Italian needing to find a seat outside of the MotoGP paddock.

Locatelli did just that as he signed with Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha in WorldSSP, a switch that rejuvenated him as he took a stunning 12 wins from 15 races and the championship. 

Despite riding in fewer races than the two champions either side of him (Randy Krummenacher in 2019 and Dominique Aegerter in 2021) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Locatelli produced more wins in what was one of the more dominant WorldSSP seasons ever. 

Locatelli’s stunning season was enough to see him promoted to WorldSBK for 2021 with the factory Pata Yamaha team alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu who became world champion for the first time. In 2022 Locatelli will take part in his second season with the Pata Yamaha team and second as team-mate to the Turkish rider.

After shining as a rookie, Locatelli took a small step back in 2022 as he was beaten to fourth in the championship by Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The Yamaha rider scored less points than his rookie season and managed two podiums compared to four in 2021. 

Locatelli did show more pace in terms of lap times compared to his rookie season, however, so did most of the riders on the grid which is why the Italian didn't make the progress many expected.