With five rounds down in the 2026 MXGP championship, former MX2 world champion, Pauls Jonass sits in 11th place in the points standings on 95 points, equal with Alberto Forato and 15 points behind the man in 10th place in the series, Ducati factory rider, Calvin Vlaanderen.

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The Latvian might be struggling somewhat, but no doubt, with his experience and hard work, he will at some point start to impress, although MXGP is a tough class, with 10 factory riders ahead of him, and a handful behind. Nothing comes easy in MXGP and even with full factory backing, it doesn’t mean instant success.

In the last round of the MXGP championship in Trentino Italy, Jonass had showed top six speed in practice but faced a difficult first moto as he was closed down at the first turn of race one. He maintained his lap times throughout the race to finish eleventh and showed gritty resistance to deny the points-leader through the last two laps.

A solid sixth throughout most of race two the Latvian surrendered two positions in the closing laps but eighth was enough to earn tenth overall and maintain eleventh in the series points standings.

"My speed was good in both practices but I'm just lacking a bit of confidence in the longer motos. I don't get physically tired, but you need to be on your top game to battle up front at this level; sometimes you just need to pin and not be scared in sketchy moments. The second moto was a step in the right direction and now we have one month to regroup and come back swinging for the rest of the season."

In the Sardinian round, Jonass regrouped after a frustrating Saturday to race from outside the top ten to ninth at one stage before losing one position two laps from the end of the first moto. An excellent getaway in race two was quickly negated at turn two where confusion reigned and the Latvian ran out of track. Rejoining the race last he persevered to the finish to finish seventeenth.

"The first moto was a big improvement on yesterday, but I lost my rhythm a little mid-moto before I got going again at the end. I made a good start in race two but then I crashed at the second turn; I wanted to go for the inside, but I couldn't turn in traffic and went over the berm into the wall. That was a pity and I came forward again; I felt good riding alone, but it was difficult to make passes. It was a typical Riola; it's always tough here."

Jonass had battled hard throughout the first moto in Switzerland, to earn seventh from an initial tenth and was looking to reinforce his push into the top ten of the series standings when he rounded the first turn third in race two.

But his joy was short-lived as a small stone jammed the rear brake mechanism on the first lap. After being delayed for more than a minute he showed great spirit to charge back through the pack, missing the final championship point by just six seconds at the finish.

"Finally, I got a really good start in the second moto, and a stone stuck in my rear brake on the first lap, so I overjumped the big table and lost some positions. I tried to push it out but then I had to stop at the pits; the stone was hidden so deep in the brake it even took time for my mechanic to get it out. I was careful not to get in the way of the leaders but there was a gap after Romain passed me so I could stay on his rear wheel. I was feeling good on the track and riding well but these small mishaps happen. I was moving forward in the first race too until I got taken out halfway through the moto and the handlebars were bent but I could still finish seventh. Hopefully those will be the last mishaps this season and we can keep moving forward from here."

At round two in Spain, Jonass regrouped overnight from a disappointing Qualifying on Saturday to post two solid rides. The Latvian progressed quickly from thirteenth to ninth through the first few turns of race one and was looking at a top ten finish until he was forced out with two laps remaining. Again, starting just outside the top ten he found a good rhythm around the rugged track to mount a series of passes, clinching his eventual ninth four laps from the close.

"It was a challenging day. I felt fit and healthy, but I just wasn't riding the greatest in the first moto, then we had a small issue, and I had to pull out. I kept charging in the second moto, passing some guys to finish ninth. It wasn't the best day - not where we want to be."

In the opening round in Argentina, Jonass showed his best form since joining KRT last season with a series of top six starts and good speed throughout both motos. A dramatic pass through the waves at two-third distance in race one earnt fifth at the chequered flag and an even better result looked probable when he swept into fourth on the second lap of race two before the race was red-flagged for an incident involving other riders at the gate. The Latvian was more affected by the red flag than any other as he came together with another rider at turn two of the rerun and had to charge from last to thirteenth at the finish.

"I showed good speed all weekend - my best since I joined Kawasaki last year; we put in a lot of work during the winter - riding and training - and it seems to be paying off, but the restart in race two cost me. I was in fourth when the race was red flagged, then at the restart I came together with another rider at turn two and had to come from dead last to thirteenth. I was happy with my riding all weekend but of course I am disappointed with the final result. But that's how it goes sometimes so we will just keep working for higher results."

Now, with a month until the next round in France, Jonass will race some Dutch National championship races and try and improve on his position in the world standings. Outside of the opening round where he scores 28 points over the weekend, Trentino was a stand-out for the Kawasaki man, where he scores 23 points.