Deniz Öncü was born in Alanya, Turkey, in 2003. The talented Turkish rider began his sporting career with great success, making his debut in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup in 2016, finishing in the Top 10 of overall.
In 2017 he undertook his second season in the series and became champion, by only one point and thanks to two victories and one further podium. That same year he also competed in the Red Bull Rookies Cup for the first time, winning races in Germany and the Czech Republic. In addition, he fought for the Top 10 in numerous races and placed fourth in the standings.
During 2018 Öncü became part of Aki Ajo’s FIM CEV Repsol team, alongside his brother Can Öncü. He finished his first season in fourteenth position, and also participated for a second year in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, where he was runner-up with three victories and two podiums.
In 2019 he continued in what is now the Junior GP World Championship with Red Bull KTM Ajo, placing twelfth overall and fighting in the front group in every race.
2020 was his first full season in the Moto3 World Championship, after having replaced his brother the previous year in several races. A year of adaptation and growth, it ended with him finishing seventeenth overall.
His first standout results in Grand Prix racing arrived in 2021, with three podiums and eleventh in the standings. Öncü continued to grow as a rider and established himself as one of the main competitors in the class.
In 2022 Deniz Öncü continued to rack up podiums and came very close to achieving his first victory. After once again being one of the most competitive Moto3 riders, he ended the year with 200 points, in fifth position.
In 2023 Deniz returned to Red Bull KTM Ajo. He began the season as one of the favourites for the title and was a regular in the top positions. His campaign kick-started when he achieved a run of three consecutive podiums, including his long-awaited first victory at the German Grand Prix. Öncü picked up two more victories in Austria and Australia and, after remaining in the title battle until the final rounds, enjoyed his best season to date with fifth place overall.
In 2024, the Turkish rider moved up to the intermediate class in the World Championship, and he managed to score his first point at the opening round of the season in Qatar. After six more Grands Prix, two of them with Top 15 finishes, he was forced to miss three rounds due to surgery on a left-hand injury. On his return, Öncü took 11th place in Austria, before claiming his first podium in Moto2 with a third place at MotorLand Aragon. In the final stretch of the season, he had three more races in the Top 10: Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The year ended with Öncü fighting for the rookie award, finishing third but close to his rivals.
In 2025 he is Red Bull KTM Ajo’s most experienced rider in Moto2 and wants to challenge for the top spots of the category.
