As usual, the MotoGP paddock is buzzing with rumors, some of which are coming back to us...
We hide most of them, either because of a confidentiality clause, or for lack of elements allowing us to think that they are something other than rumors, but it also happens that several apparently diffuse elements overlap and, that time, we let you know, with the strict conditional.
Many rumors circulated during the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, but the most interesting concerns the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team, because it would have multiple repercussions, including on a booming rider market...
The starting point would be ongoing discussions between Aprilia and Razlan Razali's (British) team so that the latter becomes Noale's satellite team from next year.
Aprilia is in full upward spiral, and has just lost its concessions in Spain, while the satellite team Yamaha is barely managing to escape from the bottom of the ranking with
Andrea Dovizioso et Darryn Binder. As Razlan Razali was only able to sign a one-year contract with Yamaha, and Iwata does not seem in a huge hurry to renew it, there would be a certain logic to a merger between RNF and Aprilia.
In there, the good news is above all that Aprilia would change dimension, combining its recent technical progress with the doubling of the number of its RS-GPs on the track!
Now let’s see the side effects of this unexpected rumor…
On the Aprilia side, we would therefore recover two places on the grid but also an Italian sponsor (WithU) and possibly two driver places, Andrea Dovizioso admitting to performing light years away from Fabio Quartararo et Darryn binder proving at the moment also struggling to exploit the potential of the YZR-M1.
On the Yamaha side, behind the official explanations, we are keeping an eye open on the financial health of Razlan Razali's structure, by postponing the agreement of a possible extension until this summer. But at the same time, the idea of a rapprochement with the structure of Valentino Rossi, already representing the brand in Moto2 via the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team, is regaining some strength despite the current contract between the VR 46 and Ducati.
Ducati which would not veto and would thus see its workload reduced by reducing its number of machines to six on the grid, and perhaps also the problems caused by the presence in its ranks of four friendly but competing Italian structures…
This is of course only a rumor, but a rumor sufficiently consistent for several MotoGP factory riders to begin to seriously consider the possibility of a future under Yamaha colors, satellites or not, because, after all, it is a Yamaha that is leading the MotoGP world championship, ahead of an Aprilia…
This will be the subject of another article.
