After securing Fabio Quartararo’s stay until 2026, Monster Energy Yamaha now has a spot to define for the next season. Currently, that spot belongs to Álex Rins, whose contract expires at the end of the year.
According to Crash.net, there are two most desired targets by the Iwata manufacturer. One of them is Jorge Martín, who is currently with Prima Pramac Racing. The Spaniard wants to be in a factory team in 2025, whether or not it is with Ducati, but despite his good performances and being runner-up in 2023, he did not have a spot this year.
If Martín moves up to Ducati, Enea Bastianini will lose his current spot. Also at the end of his contract, the Italian is another highly rated rider by Yamaha. The aforementioned site writes that the manufacturer and Ducati met on the sidelines of the Portuguese GP.
On the other hand, there is the issue of the satellite team. Yamaha wants to have a partner team again, which it has not had since 2022. And here it may have two options. One is Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team, the same ambassador of the brand, who is currently at the end of his contract with Ducati.
However, director Uccio Salucci said just before the start of the season that the goal is to continue with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer – which has the most competitive bike at the moment. Prima Pramac would be the other possible option for Yamaha, as it has also not renewed with Ducati. It may be attracted by financial terms, but considering a long partnership of almost two decades, being the most favored of the satellite teams, and the competitiveness of the bike, the conditions do not seem to exist for a swap.
