Five minutes with Romain Febvre

OAt 34, MXGP world champion Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team) is nearing the end of his career. However, there's no sign of that in his sporting career. The driven Frenchman gained a lot of confidence in 2025 and feels stronger than ever.

While rivals Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser are switching teams, Febvre remains with the Kawasaki factory team. This successful partnership with the Kimi Raikkonen and Antti Pyrhonen lineup is now in its seventh season. However, the ingredients to fight for the world title again remain intact. His Kawasaki teammates, Pauls Jonass in MXGP and Mathis Valin, also remain the same as last year.

Only the look of "RF3" has been tweaked for 2026. From now on, the fast veteran will wear Shot Race Gear clothing instead of Just1. His ambition? To become the most successful French rider ever in the history of the Motocross World Championship.

In an off-season with so many changes, could stability be a major asset?
Romain Febvre: My physical condition is good, and the team is there too. I've been riding for Kawasaki for six years now, and I know the bike inside and out. I've worked with the people at Kawasaki Japan for a long time, and that makes everything easier. If we run into a problem, we find a solution together. On the bike, we can focus on what needs to be adjusted or better managed.

When you're still at the top of your game later in life, it's harder to shape your own future. How do you cope with that?
Febvre: I know the time will come for me to retire from racing. That moment is definitely getting closer now. This year, I'm going to give it my all one last time. After that, if I can get a deal for just one season, I'd happily accept it. That way, I can retire whenever I want. I don't want to sign another big contract for two or three years; that doesn't make sense to me anymore.

In what sense are you a more complete rider now than you were before?
Febvre: Consistency and speed are linked, and you learn that mainly through experience. You know which GPs you can win and which you can't. If you feel like winning isn't in the cards that weekend, you make sure you finish third, fourth, or fifth. Younger riders always try to win, even when it's actually impossible. Then you push too hard and make mistakes. My two worst results in 2025 were fifth place overall. That shows how consistent I was, and that's really something to be proud of.

In 2025, Febvre won five GPs and was unable to keep him off the podium.

Now that his traditional winter preparation in Sardinia is almost complete, Romain can put the finishing touches on his preparation races. Given the mental calm brought by his second world title, the Kawasaki is in a strong position.
That is an advantage that should not be underestimated over the duration of a championship.

Besides title contenders Lucas Coenen, Jeffrey Herlings, and Tim Gajser, MXGP rookies Kay De Wolf, Thibault Benistant, and Andrea Adamo will also be eager to distinguish themselves. For Febvre, everything in 2026 is a bonus, and that's precisely what makes him dangerous.

Tekst: Geoff Meyer/MXGP, Editorial
Photos: Shot Racing Gear