The 2019 grid is almost complete and the list of drivers without contracts is growing. Even important riders are still looking for handlebars.
The MotoGP field is almost complete and the list of riders looking for a place is growing. Between the heavyweights, there remained Andrea Iannone whose fate has just been sealed with Aprilia, but there is still Franco Morbidelli. To the two Italians is added Jonathan Rhea who has not yet given up on the idea of leaving Superbike and, although the Honda HRC track has flown away, he is now knocking on the door of the SIC-Petronas Yamaha team. If this option does not work either, Rea will renew his contract with Kawasaki in Superbike. The contract has been ready for weeks, all that is missing is the signature.
At the moment, there are only two or four places really free, those of the SIC-Petronas Yamaha team, but Petronas must not go with Aspar/Ángel Nieto, as Dorna has proposed. . Marc VDS could then leave the set, as he had planned. If the Malaysians used Aspar Martínez's infrastructure and places, the number of permanent participants would drop to 22, with many economic advantages for the promoter and, therefore, for the other teams. The opportunities for the remaining pilots would therefore be reduced even further. If, on the contrary, Petronas took over Marc VDS, there would be four free places for those who still do not have a handlebar for 2019. Among them are Bradley Smith, Scott Redding, Alvaro Bautista, Karel Abraham, Thomas Lüthiwithout forgetting Alex Marquez who aspires to come to MotoGP and who has a very powerful manager in the person of Emilio Alzamora, as well as Dani Pedrosa who could decide to end his career at 32.
Note: If no official announcement has yet been made, the renewal of the contract of Jack Miller at Pramac Racing seems assured, and the announcement of the arrival of Joan mir at Suzuki appears more and more likely.
Repsol Honda HRC : Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo
Honda LCR : Cal Crutchlow, Takaaki Nakagami
Movistar Yamaha: Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales
Ducati Corse : Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci
Red Bull KTM : Johann Zarco, Pol Espargaró
Aprilia Gresini Team : Aleix Espagaro, Andrea Iannone
Suzuki ecstar : Alex Rins, Joan Mir
Bow Ducati : Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia
Real Avintia Ducati : Tito Rabat, Xavier Siméon
Angel Nieto Ducati : (Álvaro Bautista?) (Karel Abraham?)
Tech3 KTM : Miguel Oliveira, Hafizh Syahrin
SIC Petronas Yamaha : (Álex Márquez?) (Franco Morbidelli?)
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