The Yamaha satellite roster is likely to have two vacancies in 2022 as Franco Morbidelli is the most likely replacement for the outgoing Maverick Vinales.
With Valentino Rossi almost certain to move from SRT – be it retiring or competing for his own VR46 team in 2022 – SRT’s roster may need to be completely redesigned next year.
Several WSBK names were previously linked, with the names of Yamaha duo Toprak Razgatlioglu and Garrett Gerloff being widely used in conversations about SRT.
But both have signed with Yamaha in the WSBK for 2022 and excluded them – although Gerloff is said to have a clause in his contract that allows him to break the contract should he be offered a MotoGP spot.
During the Dutch run of the WSBK season 2021 last weekend, six-time WSBK champion and two-time MotoGP starter Rea did not rule out the possibility of signing with SRT when asked about his ties to the squad.
In the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont discuss whether Rea will finally switch to MotoGP full-time in 2022 is indeed a realistic possibility.
They will also discuss the latest calendar changes and the difficulties MotoGP is still facing due to COVID-19, while also looking at the second part of the current campaign, which will continue next weekend in Austria.