Most of the 2022 MotoGPā¢ rider line-up jigsaw puzzle pieces have fallen into place. However, after Maverick ViƱalesā premature exit from Yamaha midway through this season, thereās a lot to be decided ā both for this yearĀ and next ā at Petronas Yamaha SRT and the newly-branded Independent Yamaha team.
It’s all but confirmed that current Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Franco Morbidelli will become Fabio Quartararoās Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate in 2022. But with ViƱales and Yamahaās separation, thereās a vacant seat to be filled in the factory Iwata ranks for the remainder of the season. Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow ā who replaced injured Morbidelli at Petronas Yamaha SRT in Styria and Austria ā has linked up with Quartararo for his home race at Silverstone, but all roads are pointing towards Morbidelli being promoted to the factory team as soon as he returns from knee surgery.
The knock-on effect to that means Morbidelliās Petronas seat needs to be filled for the rest of the season. Jake Dixonās British MotoGPā¢ debut is expected to be a one-off, with one name strongly associated with a sensational comeback to racing this season: Andrea Dovizioso.
A 2022 race seat with Aprilia ā who Dovi has been testing for this year ā is now off the cards after the Noale factory announced ViƱales as Aleix Espargaroās teammate, and itās no secret that Dovi ā as reported byĀ Motorsport.comĀ āĀ is eager to return to a full-time premier class ride.
The experienced Italian could well be back on the grid in 2021 with Petronas Yamaha SRT according to several rumours, with it also being a real possibility that Dovizioso is one of the Independent Yamaha team riders in 2022.
Speaking to motogp.com pitlane reporter Simon Crafar, Petronas SRT Team Director Johan Stigefelt on Friday at the British GP had this to say regarding the Dovizioso rumours: āWe are looking into options and it is something we intend to keep for ourselves and we will announce soon the next steps.āĀ
Elsewhere, for 2022, Darryn Binder is being heavily banded for one of the Independent Yamaha bikes. The current Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto3ā¢ star was invited to test an R1 Superbike in Brno ahead of the British Grand Prix, adding fuel to the speculation that the South African could become the first rider to jump from Moto3ā¢ straight to MotoGPā¢ since Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) did the same for the 2015 campaign.Ā
āYeah I got proposed the opportunity to go ride a Superbike in Brno, I couldnāt pass up the opportunity to go ride the big bike,ā said Binder, talking about the one-day test in the Czech Republic. āIt was my first time riding a bike with a lot of horsepower. Yeah, I really enjoyed it and it was super nice to ride at Brno again and yeah, I enjoyed it.
āI have a manager and thatās his job, so I know heās full at work and Iām sure whatever he has proposed for me Iāll have a good opportunity,ā continued Binder, talking about whether or not he has news on where heāll be riding in 2022.
Stigefelt, again talking to Crafar on Friday at Silverstone, confirmed Binder is one of the riders they are looking at for 2022: āNow I cannot tell anything because we are evaluating riders for the future. He is one of them for sure, an interesting rider but at the moment we have nothing agreed or signed and we intend to keep it like this for now and in the near future announce our plans.ā
The Yamaha conundrum is certainly a fascinating one. Rumours about who will be riding the Petronas Yamaha SRT bike for the remainder of 2021 are rife, and it wonāt be long before we find out what Yamaha have planned. Nothing has been confirmed by Yamaha or Petronas SRT regarding rider line-ups for 2021 or 2022 yet, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled to the latest MotoGPā¢ news in the next few weeks. – www.motogp.com