Maria Herrera will replace the injured Albert Arenas in the Mahindra Pull&Bear Aspar Team at both the Australian GP and the Malaysian GP. The young Spanish rider made her Grand Prix debut in the 2013 Aragon GP and became a permanent World Championship rider in 2015, when she got 9 points in the standings with eleventh position in Australia as a best result. Now, she is back in action with the Aspar Team and a motorbike, the Mahindra, which she will try for the first time in Phillp Island.
María Herrera: "I am very excited to be able to compete with the Aspar Team, I have always wanted to be in a good team and Álvaro Bautista has always spoken very well about both the team and Jorge Martínez "Aspar". Álvaro was world champion with them, and also Julito Simon, so I have to take this opportunity. I do not know the bike, but I will try to adapt as quickly as possible. When I train, I do it with a bike that has a very similar chassis, and it's something that can come in handy because I have a good corner speed. For me Phillip Island is one of the best tracks on the World Championship calendar, in my first year I was eighth in the qualifying and eleventh in the race. Last year I was also in the front positions, so I think it's a good opportunity for us."