1 comment TODAY WE TALK ABOUTRoberto Rodríguez@RobertoMontijo
The MotoGP rider market for next season is more busy than ever after Maverick Viñales asked to break his contract with Yamaha, for which he has become a free agent. The break of the Spanish with the Iwata brand promises to cause a fairly considerable earthquake.
At the moment there are six free places for next season on the MotoGP grid. One, that of Takaaki Nakagami in the LCR, is a mere procedure, but the others will not be unlocked until Viñales confirms what his destination will be. He and Yamaha now have the keys to the market.
Viñales and Yamaha hold the keys to the MotoGP market
For Viñales there are two realistic options on the horizon. The first, and most feasible, would be to sign for Aprilia as Aleix Espargaró's partner, even if it was with a contract for only one season that would allow him to be free for the winter of 2023, when the contracts of almost all the pilots will expire.
At Motorpasion MotoFirst impressions of the BMW CE-04: a groundbreaking electric scooter with up to 130 km of autonomy, for 12,050 eurosBut there has also been talk of the option of going to the VR46 with an official Ducati, a step prior to join the official structure of the Borgo Panigale house, where Gigi Dall'Igna would like to have him already in 2023. The other options, such as a hypothetical return to Suzuki, would be very difficult for 2022 because they would lead to new contract breaks.
If what Viñales decides is important, what Yamaha does to replace him is also important. Right now the most probable option is to incorporate Franco Morbidelli from Petronas, which would leave two free holes in the Yamaha satellite structure every time Valentino Rossi's withdrawal is confirmed. Even if he did continue, he would be more likely to do so on his own team.
Without Morbidelli and without Rossi, at Petronas they would only have to pull young and inexperienced drivers, but who would contribute something additional to the team and the category. These are the cases of Garrett Gerloff, American, and Jake Dixon, British. Marco Bezzecchi also sounds like a Yamaha-backed option for Petronas.
The most normal thing would be for Bezzecchi to be in MotoGP, but in the ranks of the VR46. He is the favorite, but at the same time the third option of the team, since the sponsor, Aramco, prefers Valentino Rossi and the brand, Ducati, would like Maverick Viñales in the position. But most likely it will be Bezzecchi who will run alongside Luca Marini.
The last free moto would be Tech3, where it seems more and more certain that Raúl Fernández will be. In Aprilia the number one option is Viñales, and only if it does not come out would they have to go for Andrea Dovizioso, who is currently testing them and is not clear about it, or for Joe Roberts, from Moto2.
MotoGP 2022 Riders Grid
| TEAM | BRAND | FIRST RIDER | SECOND RIDER | ASPIRANTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | Yamaha | Fabio Quartararo | < td>Franco Morbidelli, Andrea Dovizioso | |
| Ducati | Ducati | Pecco Bagnaia | Jack Miller | |
| Pramac | Ducati | Johann Zarco | Jorge Martín | |
| KTM | KTM | Miguel Oliveira | Brad Binder | |
| Suzuki | Suzuki | Joan Mir | Alex Rins | < /td> |
| Honda | Honda | Marc Márquez | Pol Espargaró | |
| LCR | Honda | Álex Márquez | Takaaki Nakagami | < /tr>|
| Gresini | Ducati | Enea Bastianini | Fabio Di Giannantonio | |
| Petronas | Yamaha | Franco Morbidelli | Valentino Rossi, Garrett Gerloff, Marco Bezzecchi, Jake Dixon | |
| VR46 | Ducati | Luca Marini | Marco Bezzecchi, Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales | |
| Tech3 | KTM | Remy Gardner | Raúl Fernández, Danilo Petrucci, Iker Lecuona | |
| Aprilia | Aprilia | Aleix Espargaró | Maverick Viñales, Andrea Dovizioso, Joe Roberts |
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Share This is the grid of riders for MotoGP 2022: six free slots awaiting the decision of Maverick Viñales
