After the formalization of Scott Redding at Aprilia, and with Karel Abraham in the process of renewing within the Aspar team, the transfer market for 2018 is now focused on two MotoGP teams: Marc VDS and Avintia.
If at Marc VDS there is only one place left to fill alongside Franco Morbidelli, and Tom Luthi does not seem to be the last on the list to have a chance of taking it (despite offers of services from Stefan Bradl, Hector Barbera and Sam Lowes), at Avintia, these are the two motorcycles of Loris Baz et Hector Barbera which appear to be up for auction.
The team manager, Raul Romero, did not really hide it since, in addition to Loris Baz et Hector Barbera who still seem to have a small chance of retaining their seat, he admitted to being in discussions with Tito Rabat, Xavier Simeon, Mika Kallio et Yonny Hernandez, while declaring that he was in no hurry to make his decision.
Can we interpret this as a desire to let the stakes rise? Time will tell, especially if, as is currently rumored, the two places will be awarded to Tito Rabat et Xavier Simeon, two drivers believed to have the capacity to bring with them a budget estimated between €700 and more than €000.
These figures may seem enormous, and they are, but they relate to the budget requested by certain Moto3 teams (€350) and Moto000 (€2).
The Speedweek site informs that the cause of this race for money is due to the restriction of the budget provided by Avintia, which would have gone from 3 million euros in 2016 to 600 € this year. A loss of 000 million euros only partially offset by the arrival of the insurer Reale Seguros.
The Spanish team would therefore be forced to ask its future drivers to put their hands in their pockets, and not in a negligible way.
Should we be offended? It's up to you, but if this policy seems questionable from a sporting point of view, it can obviously only be motivated by a difficult financial situation which could endanger the very existence of the Spanish team. So, between two highly paid pilots, and nothing at all, what would really be the best solution?
