As 2021 MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo continues to delay committing to the Monster Energy Yamaha team for 2023 and beyond after a difficult start to the season so far, the latest rumours in the paddock suggests that his Japanese employer is now scouting out what alternative options it would have should he choose to step away.
And it seems so far that the prime candidate for replacing him, should a replacement be needed, may well be Red Bull KTM rider Miguel Oliveira, who has struggled through his own inconclusive start of the year so far too with the Austrian team – and who could potentially be tempted away to join Franco Morbidelli in place of the reigning champion.
On the eve of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Spanish newspaper Marca has reported Oliveira’s father and manager Paolo is now in talks with Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis – something that would make sense both for Yamaha and for the Portuguese racer.
It’s unclear who else would be likely recruitment targets for the team among those available. One other option could be 2021 double race winner Jack Miller, should he be, as expected, squeezed out of Ducati’s line-up by the promotions of both Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini.
However, Miller’s inconsistency issues with the Italian marque still obviously need to be solved, as evidenced last weekend when he not just crashed out at Portimao but took 2020 champion Joan Mir with him.
And, while there’s an argument to be made that perhaps a switch of manufacturer would improve Miller’s consistency, a mooted return to LCR Honda still seems more likely than a move from V4 to inline-four engine configuration at Yamaha.
That in theory leaves Oliveira as a prime remaining candidate for a Yamaha move, especially as he’d revealed in the past that he’d already fielded an approach from the Iwata firm.
Another potentially eligible candidate, Pol Espargaro (who in turn would be probably displaced from Repsol Honda should Quartararo make a move away from Yamaha), is a previous Yamaha rider, enjoying a reasonably successful tenure with the satellite Tech3 team – then paired up with Yamaha rather than KTM – at the start of his premier-class career.
But, at 30 years old (which will be 31 by the time Espargaro could join Yamaha), there’s an argument to be made that the Spaniard is too old to start learning a new bike all over again, especially given he’s had his difficulties adapting to Honda after departing KTM 18 months ago.
One thing is certain, though – if Quartararo decides to go, Yamaha needs to lock down the best available rider to replace Quartararo given the fact that Franco Morbidelli on the other side of the garage simply hasn’t performed at all for the team since returning from knee surgery in the middle of the 2021 season.
Promoted from the satellite team Petronas Yamaha following Maverick Vinales’ high-profile split from Yamaha, Morbidelli’s form has fallen considerably since the incredible end to 2020 that saw him fighting for the championship before eventually finishing the year in second place overall.
And it’s not hard to imagine that senior figures within the team are now ruing their decision to offer the Italian a two-year deal – which secures his future until the end of 2023 at least – when he moved up to the works team.
