Since entering MotoGP in 2022, VR46 has been using Ducati motorcycles. The contract with the manufacturer extends until the end of next season and it is possible that it will not continue – with Yamaha speculated as the main alternative.
Currently, there are eight Ducatis in the paddock, a situation that the manufacturer itself has admitted it does not intend to maintain for much longer. The Desmosedici GP bikes are a guarantee of competitive motorcycles, but for Ducati to supply three teams is not necessarily advantageous from a financial point of view.
Each manufacturer receives three million euros from Dorna for having at least one satellite team. Yamaha is the only manufacturer that has only its factory team, and is making every effort to have a satellite team again in 2025. Director Lin Jarvis has already stated that VR46 could be an option.With the YZR-M1 being one of the least competitive bikes currently, it is a less attractive option for the team. But there is also a past that connects Valentino Rossi to Yamaha, with a strong relationship between them. In any case, VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto has assured Motorsport.com that the priority is to renew with Ducati.
And what if there was a third option? The Pierer Mobility Group will consider having a second satellite team in 2025, after GasGas Tech3. One of the projects is to bring back MV Agusta – a brand they now own – in the future, and the Austrians have been exerting strong pressure to have more spots. With one of the existing teams or one created from scratch. However, at this time, the apparently most likely scenarios for VR46 are to either continue with Ducati or move to Yamaha.
