Maverick Vinales’ departure from Yamaha at the end of the year reopened a rider market for 2022 that appeared to offer few surprises. Instead, there will be more than one desirable seat free in MotoGP during the summer break (two M1s, one in the works team and the other in Petronas if Valentino decides to retire, and an Aprilia). The candidates to fill them, on the other hand, are in short supply. The names Roberts, Dixon and Vierge have been around for weeks, but not all riders are convincing in Moto2.
So some drivers think they can take the opportunity. Like Stefan Bradl, who may be a test driver for Honda but is eager to be a full-time driver again. Like last year when he replaced Marc Marquez for most of the season.
The German talked about it with his colleagues at Speedweek and even if he doesn’t have any real offers on the table at the moment, he is ready to accept them: “If a team were interested, I would look carefully and listen.” he said.
Stefan will be 32 years old at the end of November and believes he has more to offer than many other young drivers. For example Dixon, for whom he reserved a small jab, and comments on the fact that Jake has only scored points twice this year: “Of course I can’t keep up with that. I only drove three races this year and got three points. “