Since entering MotoGP in 2022, VR46 has been using Ducati motorcycles. The contract with the manufacturer extends until the end of the next season and it is possible that it will not continue – with Yamaha being speculated as the main alternative.
Currently there are eight Ducati motorcycles in the paddock, a situation that the manufacturer itself has admitted that 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, 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 not a very 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 if there was a third option? Pierer Mobility Group will consider having a second satellite team in 2025, after GasGas Tech3. One of the projects is to bring MV Agusta – a brand they now own – back in the future, and the Austrians have exerted strong pressure to have more spots. With one of the existing teams or one created from scratch. However, at this time, the seemingly most likely scenarios for VR46 are to either continue with Ducati or move to Yamaha.
