Image: Supplied.

Former MX2 world champion Andrea Adamo is carrying a measured approach into his rookie MXGP campaign, with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing recruit aiming to be ‘close to the top-five’ while learning as much as possible in the premier class.

The 22-year-old Italian claimed the MX2 title with the Austrian manufacturer in 2023, before being unable to replicate that form over the following two seasons.

After finishing third overall in 2025, Adamo has been elevated to the 450 class following longtime KTM leader Jeffrey Herlings’ move to Honda HRC, and will join the highly-rated Belgian Lucas Coenen – who is in the De Carli organization – on factory 450 SX-F machinery this year.

“Life with the 450 is going good,” commented Adamo. “Every time I enter the track, I discover something new and that makes it exciting and interesting. I had spent many years on the 250, and it was already very familiar, and now there are many new feelings.

“Overall, preparation is going well. I’m healthy and fit, and the winter has gone positively, even if we still have some time before the first GP. I think the bike is amazing, and it makes me want to get to Argentina quickly. 2026 will be a different type of racing with a different kind of opponent. Guys with so much experience, so I have to learn from them.

“It will be a challenge, and I cannot really speak about expectations, but I want to try and stay as close to the top-five as possible, and then we’ll see. There are many good guys on the line – we have to learn as much as we can. I’m happy to join the big class.”

Adamo lined up at the opening round of the Internazionali d’Italia Motocross in Alghero, Italy, on Sunday, capturing two holeshots and a P2 finish in race one, before a DNF in the second encounter relegated him to ninth overall in the MX1 category.

The MXGP of Argentina will open the 2026 world championship on March 7-8, with the 20-round season set to conclude in Australia on September 20.