MotoGP is Set to Receive Some Seismic Changes

The MotoGP rider market has had a seismic fortnight, and with some important pieces in place, the rest of the 2023 picture might be ready to emerge quickly. Aprilia got things started by extending Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viales’ contracts in Italy for another two years, but Yamaha landed the year’s biggest signing by extending Fabio Quartararo’s contract until the end of 2024. In response to his concerns about a lack of power, the Frenchman stated he’d had pledges of improvements from next season, as well as a raise in remuneration, considering that he had Iwata over a barrel. He’s the only rider capable of managing the M1 — Darryn Binder and Franco Morbidelli finished 12th and 13th in Barcelona, respectively, with five early accidents ahead of them — and has accumulated 100% of the marque’s manufacturer’s championship points this season.

With RNF defecting to Aprilia for the next season, leaving Yamaha with only two factory motorcycles on the grid, the team desperately needed to win to retain the world championship, and by removing the season’s biggest fish from the market, the next round of contract negotiations has begun.

Speculation began before the season even began, but all indications are that Jack Miller is leaving Ducati and will most likely join KTM. According to The Race, he has already signed a two-year agreement with the Austrian manufacturer, which will be confirmed soon.

However, the pre-season rumours haven’t always proven accurate. While Jorge Martin was expected to waltz into a factory seat after 2021, Enea Bastianini’s three victories this year — still the most of any rider — have made him an almost enticing proposition.

But it’s not as straightforward as the data imply. Martin’s right-arm nerve damage has been a big factor in his four DNFs this season, and he’ll have surgery to correct the problem this week in the hopes of being fit for the next two races before the mid-season break, in Germany and the Netherlands.

If Borgo Panigale is still undecided, the last two races might be the straight shootout it needs to make a choice.

Miller’s expected arrival to KTM will displace Miguel Oliveira, despite the Portuguese rider being promised earlier in the season that his spot was secure.

In a strict sense, he was given a contract that included the possibility of being transferred to Tech3, which Miller’s forthcoming announcement would have triggered. Despite riding a KTM in every class of his professional career, Oliveira was having none of it.