No fewer than 13 MotoGP rider-and-team or team-and-manufacturer combinations say goodbye to each other at the end of the 2024 season finale Solidarity Grand Prix at Barcelona this weekend - and then in most cases immediately hook up with their new colleagues for the first 2025 test two days later.
Here’s the full list of all the eras ending, why the parties are separating and how their time together will be remembered.
Pramac + Ducati
Began: 2005 (as Pramac D’Antin)
Why it’s ending: In its desperation to have a satellite team again, Yamaha’s made a big-money offer to lure 2023 teams’ champion Pramac away from Ducati.
How it’ll be remembered: Pramac’s transformation over its two decades with Ducati has been unprecedented.
From getting a single top-10 finish with its one-bike customer Ducati effort with Roberto Rolfo to winning the 2023 teams’ title and being on the cusp of proving with Jorge Martin that satellite riders really can win championships, it’s been an extraordinary rise.
Ducati broke new ground for how factories and satellites collaborate as it used Pramac to develop parts and riders for the main team from the mid-2010s onwards, but it needed the arrival of a talent of Martin’s calibre to show just how high the ceiling was for the concept of a properly-supported satellite team with a top-spec bike.
Aleix Espargaro + Aprilia
Began: 2017
Why it’s ending: Espargaro’s retiring from full-time racing and switching to test rider life - but he’s doing it with Honda rather than continuing his Aprilia fairytale.
How it’ll be remembered: Aprilia was a career-destroying laughing stock when Espargaro arrived. Yet with his determination and passion and a lot of behind-the-scenes changes - headlined by Massimo Rivola taking over as team boss and Aprilia taking the project properly in-house - the Espargaro/Aprilia partnership grew into a race-winner and long-shot title contender. And throughout, even when proven race-winner Maverick Vinales arrived, Espargaro has generally been Aprilia’s leader.
There are still rough edges at Aprilia - the late-season form dips, reliability problems, some of which leave the riders singed. And it’s hard to argue that Espargaro’s been at his best on track in the final months of his racing career. This combination was probably never going to be quite enough to win a title. But both parties have so much to be proud of when looking back at their time together creating one of modern MotoGP’s greatest tales.
Taka Nakagami + LCR
Began: 2018
Why it’s ending: LCR, Honda and Idemitsu are bringing Somkiat Chantra into MotoGP in Nakagami’s current seat. He stays in the Honda family in a test role.
How it’ll be remembered: Nakagami was a worthy beneficiary of Honda and sponsor Idemitsu’s desire to have a Japanese rider on the grid.
And for a spell amid the madness of 2020, Nakagami’s consistency (boosted by a little more Honda engineering attention in Marc Marquez’s absence) looked like it might develop into a shock title challenge.
Crashing on the first lap at Aragon after taking his first pole was where that dream ended. There was little joy or hope in the years that followed as Honda’s plight worsened and it was only Ai Ogura’s reluctance to ride its MotoGP bike that kept Nakagami on the grid. He didn’t help himself by postponing hand surgery just to ride (uncompetitively) in his home grand prix two years ago either.
But if Honda had stayed on its 2010s form, Nakagami was plenty capable enough to get much better results than he has in recent years.
Jorge Martin + Pramac
Began: 2021
Why it’s ending: As soon as Jorge Martin knew Ducati had picked Marc Marquez over him for its second 2025 works ride, he signed for Aprilia.
How it’ll be remembered: An absolute game-changer. He looked ready to win races as soon as he turned up on that bike as a rookie and only injuries from a savage Portimao crash meant he had to wait until August of his first season to triumph (Pramac’s first MotoGP win).
A load of crashes from good positions in 2022 raised doubts, but since then he and Pecco Bagnaia have monopolised the title fights. The fact Martin was even part of a title fight is a huge tribute to both him and Pramac.
If he somehow loses the crown at the finale it will be crushing given his current points advantage, but what he’s achieved in getting this far still deserves enormous respect.
Maverick Vinales + Aprilia
Began: Mid-2021
Why it’s ending: Despite not telling him in advance that it had signed Jorge Martin, Aprilia was keen to keep Vinales. But he decided to leave for Tech3 KTM.
How it’ll be remembered: The wild circumstances of Vinales’ abrupt mid-season Yamaha exit and Aprilia arrival meant plenty of question marks about whether this could work or would quickly turn into a disaster. Yet there was also a strong school of thought that Vinales was arriving at a perfect time in Aprilia’s rise and it would be able to get the best out of him in a way Yamaha hadn’t consistently.
It seems getting the best out of Vinales’ consistently is a puzzle that only Vinales himself can solve, though. Rather than being a messy disaster, his Aprilia stint was actually just a little underwhelming for a long while as he took longer than expected to adapt to the bike.
At his best - with the Austin double this year the best example - he could be unbeatable on the Aprilia. But it only got that good once, and there were far more weekends of watching him disappear down the timing screens on the first lap or as a race progressed.
Marco Bezzecchi + VR46
Began: 2022 (in MotoGP, 2020 in Moto2)
Why it’s ending: Bezzecchi’s finally leaving the Valentino Rossi/VR46 fold in favour of a works deal - alongside Martin at Aprilia.
How it’ll be remembered: We need to see Bezzecchi in a new environment to work out which version of him at VR46 was the ‘true’ one. His underdog title bid last year was outstanding. Struggling with a tyre not designed for the year-old bike this year was understandable, but could and should he have got more out of it? Looking at team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio’s performances, you have to suspect he could.
Enea Bastianini + Ducati
Began: 2023
Why it’s ending: Ducati dropped Bastianini in favour of Marc Marquez so he’s off to Tech3 KTM
How it’ll be remembered: Injury meant that Bastianini’s first season in works colours never really got going, but there were signs in testing even before then that it wouldn’t live up to its potential.
His pace on year-old satellite machinery in 2022 had earned him the works ride ahead of Martin and led to an expectation that he’d be Bagnaia’s main 2023 title rival. That wouldn’t have happened even if he’d been fit all season.
Even once fully settled in the factory team and with a bike that suited him better this year, Bastianini has been far too peaky. Brilliant at his best, but firmly overshadowed by his team-mate. The fact it’s Martin who’s benefitted from Bagnaia’s 2024 blunders shows Bastianini hasn’t done a good enough job.
Jack Miller + KTM
Began: 2023
Why it’s ending: Pedro Acosta’s taking Miller’s place at the works team and Tech3 signing Bastianini and Vinales means there’s no space for him anywhere else at KTM. But Pramac Yamaha’s thrown him a MotoGP lifeline that initially looked unlikely.
How it’ll be remembered: Miller’s initial pace on the KTM was so good it looked like this would be one of the smoothest ever switches to a different manufacturer, in an era when such a change often prompts a long period of acclimatisation.
Actually sustaining that pace without crashing or trundling down the field later in a race proved largely impossible for Miller, though.
And this year the pace hasn’t really been there either - even before his impending exit meant he fell further down KTM’s priority list for attention and new parts.
Miguel Oliveira + Trackhouse
Began: 2023 (as RNF)
Why it’s ending: Trackhouse and Aprilia are bringing Moto2 champion Ai Ogura up to MotoGP at last and Oliveira’s off to the new Pramac Yamaha alliance.
How it’ll be remembered: Between a string of injuries and the disruption of the RNF team coming apart and Trackhouse coming in to take over, Oliveira’s time on a satellite Aprilia has turned into a bit of a (bruising) non-event. There have been the odd flashes of eye-catching pace but it’s generally been impossible to judge and a fresh start is best for everyone.
Augusto Fernandez + Tech3
Began: 2023
Why it’s ending: Awful second season quickly cost Fernandez his seat as Tech3 opts for an all-new line-up of Bastianini and Vinales following Pedro Acosta’s factory graduation. A very busy time in a Yamaha test role awaits.
How it’ll be remembered: Tech3 KTM seats aren’t turning out to be great for sustaining MotoGP careers - Fernandez’s superstar 2024 team-mate Acosta excepted.
Though a Moto2 champion, Fernandez didn’t arrive in MotoGP with anything like the profile and expectation level that Acosta did. Given that (and his intended team-mate Pol Espargaro getting so seriously injured at the start of the season), Fernandez’s first year was pretty impressive.
But year two has been pretty terrible throughout, though a late-season crew chief change started a more encouraging run.
Franco Morbidelli + Pramac
Began: 2024
Why it’s ending: Given how badly Morbidelli’s time at Yamaha ended, he was never going to stick around for Pramac’s manufacturer switch even if he’d been having a good 2024 season. He stays in the Ducati fold with a year-old bike at mentor Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team.
How it’ll be remembered: Morbidelli only managed to ‘fall upwards’ from a poor Yamaha works stint to the best bike on the 2024 grid because Johann Zarco left the Ducati line-up and Bezzecchi insisted on staying on an old bike at VR46.
A horrible head injury in pre-season training makes it unfair to judge Morbidelli’s 2024 too harshly. But he’s never beaten another 2024 Ducati in a race, has always finished behind at least one 2023 Ducati, hasn’t been able to support Martin’s title bid in any tangible way and has caused far too many incidents with clumsy-at-best racecraft.
Pedro Acosta + Tech3
Began: 2024
Why it’s ending: Acosta’s amazing rookie form instantly made it a foregone conclusion that KTM would bring him up to its works team for 2025.
How it’ll be remembered: A year-long exercise in hype justification.
Yes, there have been errors and dips, but considering the performances of all the other KTMs and the usual expectations of Tech3 bikes, Acosta’s rookie year has been sensational and fully justified the predictions that he’ll be MotoGP’s rider to beat into the 2030s. From the very first lap he looked totally comfortable going wheel to wheel with the established greats, and he made even KTM’s previous talisman Brad Binder rethink what he was doing.
Marc Marquez + Gresini
Began: 2024
Why it’s ending: Marquez has got himself a factory Ducati seat for 2025.
How it’ll be remembered: A wonderful story that could’ve been even better. Marquez seemed to really enjoy life at Gresini, eventually got back on the top step of the podium with it and proved to himself and everyone else that he was still as good as ever even after the (literal) pain of the early 2020s.
He’s been miles ahead of everyone else on a 2023 Ducati all year, and his crashes have to be judged against how far he’s pushing that bike above its limits to match the superior GP24s.
Given how happy and relaxed he’s appeared at Gresini, and what they’ve achieved together at a machinery disadvantage, it’s actually really sad he has to leave to get a top-spec bike as there’s no doubt he would've fought for the 2024 title at this team with a GP24.
