As correctly observed by Honda’s Pol Espargaro during the Circuit of the Americas weekend, this year’s MotoGP silly season does feel a bit “smoother” than usual – with those who would’ve faced no-doubt renewals by and large already committed to new deals and those who are at any kind of crossroads seemingly content to bide their time for now.
Still, the final round of the flyaway start to 2022 at Austin did seemingly get the ball properly rolling when it comes to the rider market – and while the admission from Fabio Quartararo’s camp that the reigning champion was talking to more than just Yamaha was the key soundbite, there were other, arguably more surprising tidbits coming out, too.
An impasse at Aprilia?
When it comes to factory line-ups for 2023 and beyond, Aprilia’s has felt the most straightforward to pin down in the aftermath of Aleix Espargaro’s Termas win – with both the factory and Espargaro and Maverick Vinales theoretically having it in their best interests to continue.
“From my point of view, everything was clear from the beginning. For me our riders are Aleix and Maverick for the next 10 years,” Aprilia racing boss Massimo Rivola told The Race – and though the ‘10 years’ part of that is dubious given Espargaro will be 42 then, it did confirm the logical desire of the Noale factory to keep things as is.
However, just because a team and a rider would be happy to continue doesn’t mean they’re aligned when it comes to terms.
“I would love to stay with Aprilia, for the moment we are just starting the talks – we are still a little bit far, I was expecting something a little bit better from them since a long time ago, but it’s not easy, and it’s still early,” Espargaro told MotoGP.com at COTA.
“Hopefully when we start the European races, if I’m able to show that I’m still fast, still able to win races and achieve podiums, it’s going to be easier.”
It was part of clear messaging from the Spaniard for Aprilia to up its offer – and it seems far-fetched to imagine that Espargaro would look to take his services elsewhere in MotoGP (or in cycling, his long-term post-MotoGP target) given he’s only now starting to reap the rewards of his journey with the RS-GP bike.
However, it also seemed far-fetched that Andrea Dovizioso would leave Ducati amid his 2020 contract impasse…
Zarco’s Pramac case stronger than you may think
Back in 2020, on the heels of a stellar first Ducati season at Avintia, Johann Zarco was only too happy to throw his hat into the ring as a potential factory rider for the marque. Since then, the 31-year-old has more or less accepted this is a very long shot given the insane reserves of hungry young talent Ducati possesses in its premier-class roster.
“Me, I want to perform, it’s the first thing I want,” Zarco said at COTA. “For me, if I perform, I will have opportunities to continue with Ducati or maybe think to some other team or factories.
“There are maybe more young performers for the factory team that can be interesting, but I think as long as I can fight for podiums in Pramac, maybe would be good to continue with Ducati and Pramac, to keep building something that we trust can be very good.”
Zarco has been capable at Ducati but his form has taken a turn for the erratic midway through last season and hasn’t yet fully recovered. Normally that wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for a satellite rider, given his propensity to deliver the occasional stunner in qualifying and hunt for podiums, but the Pramac rides are bound to be insanely hot property.
Should Zarco’s team-mate Jorge Martin get the nod to partner Francesco Bagnaia at the works team in 2023, it would be natural for Ducati to arrange for Jack Miller to go the other way – something that Miller has made clear he would definitely consider. And there’s also the matter of keeping championship leader Enea Bastianini within the camp.
It’d leave Zarco with a serious fight on his hands to keep the Pramac ride – but it’s a fight Pramac CEO Paolo Campinoti seems very keen to assist him with.
“We are very happy with Johann,” he told French broadcaster Canal Plus at COTA. “We are convinced that he could stay with us, and we are doing everything we can so that he stays with us.
“We always make the decision together with Ducati. We have a bit of an influence and we want for Johann to stay with us. It depends on whether he wants to stay with us, but I think the relationship is very good. I hope he stays.”
Given that Zarco then gatecrashed the interview and jovially responded in the affirmative to Campinoti’s question over whether he stays, it is clear the Pramac boss’s rhetoric is no mere lip service.
The new ‘shiny object’ turning MotoGP teams’ heads
Moto3 rookie champion Pedro Acosta hasn’t quite lived up to his pre-season promise in Moto2 yet – and while his campaign is bound to recover and he’s still a shoo-in for a MotoGP future, for now there’s a new name generating the buzz.
Enter Fermin Aldeguer, the reigning (super dominant) champion in the Spanish CEV Moto2 series who is now turning heads in the grand prix paddock.
CEV Moto2 isn’t the most obvious breeding ground for MotoGP talent, but Aldeguer absolutely dominated the series in 2021 and is making a spectacular first impression as a Moto2 world championship full-timer.
You wouldn’t know it from his seven points in nine races, but he was robbed of a strong chance of victory at Termas due to a desperately unlucky collision with series leader Celestino Vietti, and has been regularly popping up at the top end on the timesheets. This has come with him riding a Boscoscuro (formerly Speed Up) against series standard Kalex bikes, and his accomplished team-mate Romano Fenati has been absolutely nowhere near.
But the factor that’s most driving the reported interest in Aldeguer is that he’s just turned 17. It means he won’t be eligible for a MotoGP debut next year, but it seems the premier class is already sizing him up for he following year.
“Two factories have given us an offer and every satellite team has contacted us,” claimed Aldeguer’s manager – and former 125cc star – Hector Faubel when speaking to MotoGP.com.
“It’s been crazy. Energy drinks, helmets, gloves, boots, leathers, everyone, all contacting me. They all want Fermin.”
