In April, a Saudi company called Tanal Entertainment released a press release announcing that VR46 would come to MotoGP in 2022 with Aramco as the title sponsor, with VR46 confirming the news last month along with a three-year deal with Ducati.
However, the title sponsorship deal between Aramco and VR46 does not exist, despite the fact that the VR46 camp insists on it.
The Saudi oil giant has sent Autosport two statements since April denying any involvement in VR46, while Aramco’s CEO said the same thing in various meetings during the Dutch TT weekend where he was a guest at Pramac.
All of this could now actually force Valentino Rossi to move on with his own team in 2022 to secure sponsorship to ensure the squad can compete after previously looking like they would step down at the end of the season.
In the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss this bizarre, goofy season story.