Jonathan Rea has tempered his reaction to gushing rumors that he could become a target for a move to the MotoGP World Championship next season with Yamaha, though initially dismissed the speculation as exactly that.
On Thursday, Rea scrubbed off any hint that he might be MotoGP-bound by saying he had “read the same thing and was equally surprised” to be associated with Petronas SRT Yamaha for the 2022 MotoGP season.
However, in an apparent change of mind in the days that followed, Rea caused a stir by softening that view to keep the door open for Yamaha to push.
“There are always [the opportunity] and it always is [in my mind]; I feel like I’m driving the best I’ve ever driven and that I’m really at the peak of my life balance so never say never … ”
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The six-time WorldSBK champion is considered one of the real greats of modern motorcycle racing, although his MotoGP “caps” were limited to a short two-GP outing with Honda in 2012.
While Rea made his MotoGP intentions known during his six-year tenure at Honda, the move to Kawasaki – who does not compete in the premier class – seemingly dashed those rumors, even if the move has since given him extraordinary success at WorldSBK level with six consecutive titles .
Although Rea was often asked if he would be interested in moving to MotoGP, he made it clear that he would only do this with a competitive (factory) team. Additionally, the Ulsterman recently said he was considering the window of opportunity for the step to close.
Even so, speculation is mounting that Yamaha might be ready to make him an attractive offer to join its Petronas SRT Yamaha satellite team – a six-time GP winner in 2020 – in place of Franco Morbidelli, who is prepared to take Maverick Vinales in the to replace factory team.
Why Petronas SRT Yamaha could be the MotoGP deal Rea is waiting for?
The change in rhetoric from one day to the next comes as a surprise.
Rea is more on the line than most with his comments and rarely deviates from a worn script, so his comments on Thursday that he was surprised to be linked to a MotoGP deal didn’t surprise us otherwise.
While his revised comments aren’t exactly final, it feels like someone has a word in their ear to pop into Yamaha’s window in case they knock with an attractive offer.
While the structure of MotoGP means that expecting the factory team he craves to pick up the phone has always been an undertaking for him, Petronas SRT makes a very good impression of a factory team, as evidenced by his countless wins in 2020 .
It’s also worth noting that the Yamaha M1, with its driver-centric chassis, goes well with Rea’s steadfast driving style, which he has refined so much over the years that it seems to get better with each passing year.
It’s not going cheap, not least because Yamaha would have to negotiate it under a (lucrative) multi-year Kawasaki deal, but if Rea is ready, there’s every chance he’s the coup waiting to be unleashed on the series.