The transfer market has been in full swing since Mugello and it took on a little more intensity this weekend for Barcelona. We know that Ducati renewed its pair of riders placed with Pramac, that Brad Binder extended it to KTM until 2024 and that Remy Gardner ensured a return under the Tech3 awning which now defends the interests of the Austrian brand. On this subject, we were immediately awaiting news from his very promising teammate Raul Fernandez. They have arrived. But not through KTM which could well relive the episode of Jorge Martin, which Ducati snatched from him…
Si Raul fernandez was not announced in the wake of Remy gardner at Tech3 in MotoGP on a KTM, it is perhaps because the Spanish hope with already two victories in a Moto2 that he is only discovering has other contacts to check... A hypothesis which recalls that of Jorge Martin who left in the direction of Ducati while the family KTM thought he had made a cozy nest for him. A trend that a member of the team Petronas confirmed by letting go Motosport-total : " the first choice is Raul Fernandez “, reveals this member of the Petronas Yamaha team who does not want to be named. At the same time, however, he also says that “ it's on the verge of a 'Mission Impossible' » to separate Fernandez from KTM.
The 20-year-old Spaniard is completing his rookie season in the Moto2 category for Ajo-KTM. He has already won two of his first six races and currently sits second in the overall standings behind his teammate Remy Gardner, who was signed for Tech-3-KTM this week to be a future MotoGP rookie in 2022.
At KTM, it is customary for riders to have penalties built into their contract if it is terminated prematurely. However, there would have been meetings between Fernandez et Razlan Razali, the team principal of Sepang Racing Team (SRT), sponsored by Petronas, and the racing director of Yamaha, Lin Jarvis.
Petronas Yamaha must wait for a decision from Valentino Rossi
At this stage, we note that between Petronas et Yamaha , the relationship will certainly continue, which means that the future VR46 Aramco team will ride well with Ducatis. It must also be remembered that by thus arriving at the forefront, the case Raul fernandez implies that Valentino Rossi will retire. Because at Petronas, it is certainly not Morbidely who is in the hot seat. The latter can even expect a latest generation M1 in 2022, if he signs a new lease with the Malaysians.
Otherwise, Fernandez is not the only one on the list at Petronas and Yamaha as a possible successor to Rossi. Xavi Virgo and Jake Dixon, who currently ride for the Petronas Moto2 team are also considered candidates. Moreover, Joe Roberts, currently at Italtrans Moto2, talks to a lot of people in MotoGP. Aprilia would be a first choice, but Petronas is not ruled out.
For the game of musical chairs to accelerate, it would be necessary that Valentino Rossi decides to leave his chair. However, he has an option for 2022 in his contract with Petronas-Yamaha. However, it is linked to certain performance objectives. His teammate's contract Franco Morbidelli runs until the end of 2022. However, the 26-year-old Italian has a release clause if a factory team makes him an offer. In the event that Rossi bids farewell to Petronas-Yamaha after one year and Morbidelli remains with the team, Morbidelli would receive the M1 in current factory specifications, which is currently driven by Rossi.
The fact remains that, during this time, Raul fernandez has some pretty good cards to play in its game. KTM knows it too.
