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Rumours surrounding the final spots to be confirmed on the 2021 MotoGP grid are continuing to circulate the paddock at this weekend’s French Grand Prix, with speculation increasing that Esponsorama Ducati rider Tito Rabat is set to be bumped out of the premier class despite being contracted for next year.
There is still one seat at the team to be officially confirmed, but with manufacturer Ducati already admitting that it has a contract in place with Moto2 title contender Enea Bastianini to replace Johann Zarco as he steps up to Pramac Ducati, that looks all but settled.
However, with Valentino Rossi’s VR46 organisation believed to be making a significant effort to place his half-brother and current Moto2 title contender Luca Marini in MotoGP next year, there’s a push on to create a spot for the Italian within the team.
That looks set to come at the expense of Rabat, who has struggled so far in 2020 as he continues to endure problems with the leg injuries he suffered in a horrific multi-bike pile-up at Silverstone in 2018.
Rabat is unlikely to be left with no ride, though, with Ducati management believed to be keen to retain his services in the World Superbike paddock, via a factory-supported spot in the satellite Barni team – which has fielded Leon Camier, Marco Melandri and Samuele Cavalieri (below) this season.
A WSBK move for Rabat would leave a space for Marini within the Esponsorama team – but the latest information from The Race’s sources hints at that seat not remaining as part of the Andorran operation but instead being taken in-house by Rossi.
That fits with the story that Rossi will nix his long-running Moto3 team for next year. With no Italian youngsters ready to step into world championship racing with the VR46 Academy but with a host of top talent in Moto2 and MotoGP thanks to years of successful work in developing talent, it seems that the operation is preparing to reallocate resources.
There have also been suggestions that the Esponsorama squad (formerly Avintia Racing) could disappear completely from the grid next year, with multiple Moto3 champions Leopard Racing supposedly aiming to take over the running of Ducati’s third-tier bikes.
However, team boss Christian Lindburg categorically ruled that out today in an exclusive interview with The Race, adamantly saying that the team simply isn’t ready to make the step up.
“The situation is that there aren’t enough places for us in MotoGP at the moment,” Lindburg told The Race. “We’ve been speaking for some time with the organisation but right now there isn’t a window for us to reach it. Maybe in one or two years something will change, but this is better because right now we’re not ready to make this step.
“There is no chance of doing something for next year, and maybe even 2022 is too soon for us. The rumours at the moment are not true. For sure MotoGP is the Formula 1 of bikes and every team wants to reach that goal. In the future we want it, but right now we are not ready.”
It’s still believed that Esponsorama will lose its spot on the grid for 2022 and beyond regardless of what happens, however, as MotoGP’s team contracts come up for renegotiation at the end of next season – a factor that could be dissuading Leopard from making a substantial investment for only one year.
The Esponsorama spot looks set to go to Aprilia to graduate from its current status as a quasi-independent team linked to Gresini Racing into a full-factory set-up, although whether Aprilia retains Gresini as its satellite partner remains to be seen.
It’s also looking increasingly likely that Rossi will take control of the two spots on the grid currently free, with the nine-time champion linking up with Yamaha as its current satellite team Petronas SRT moves ever closer to joining the Suzuki camp, meaning Marini’s 2021 deal on a Ducati could be the ideal stopgap measure.
