The 2023 MotoGP grid will shrink by two bikes following the shock decision by Suzuki to end its racing project at the end of the year.
This has put the rider market into chaos with two top riders in Alex Rins and Joan Mir being put onto the radars of teams and manufacturers yet to firm up their squads.
As of the coming British Grand Prix, only four of the 11 teams competing in MotoGP in 2023 have completed their line-ups: Yamaha, KTM, Gresini and Aprilia.
Here is the 2023 rider line-up so far:
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
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Yamaha:
#20 Fabio Quartararo – has a two-year contract taking him through to the end of 2024.
#21 Franco Morbidelli – signed a two-year deal with Yamaha in September of 2021 taking him through to the end of 2023.
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team, Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
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Aprilia:
#12 Maverick Vinales – has a two-year contract taking him through to the end of 2024.
#41 Aleix Espargaro – has a two-year contract taking him through to the end of 2024.
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
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KTM:
#33 Brad Binder – signed a three-year contract back in 2021 taking him through to the end of 2024.
#43 Jack Miller – has a two-year contract to join KTM from Ducati in 2023 through to the end of 2024.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
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HONDA:
#93 Marc Marquez – Despite his injury woes and his absence from the 2020 season, Marquez signed a four-year contract to remain with Honda through to the end of 2024 at the start of 2020.
The identity of his team-mate remains unknown at this stage, but it is widely expected Joan Mir will partner Marquez at Honda next year in place of Pol Espargaro.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
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Ducati:
#63 Francesco Bagnaia – has a two-year deal taking him through to the end of 2024.
With Miller moving to KTM, Bagnaia’s team-mate in 2023 will either be Jorge Martin or Enea Bastianini. Ducati says it will make that decision around about August’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gresini Racing
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Gresini Ducati:
#49 Fabio Di Giannantonio – has a one-year contract taking him through to the end of 2023.
#73 Alex Marquez – has a one-year contract taking him through to the end of 2023.
Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP
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LCR Honda:
#42 Alex Rins – has a two-year contract directly with Honda to race with LCR through to the end of 2024.
Current LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami is expected to lose his place within the team to be replaced by fellow Japanese rider and Moto2 frontrunner Ai Ogura. Nakagami is expected to be relegated to a test rider role with Honda.
Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing
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Pramac Ducati:
#5 Johann Zarco – contract yet to be announced, by Ducati has confirmed he will remain with Pramac for 2023.
Zarco’s team-mate at Pramac next year will depend on who out of Bastianini and Martin is promoted to the factory Ducati squad. Whatever one doesn’t get the nod will take the works-supported second bike at Pramac.
Darryn Binder, RNF MotoGP Racing
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RNF Racing Aprilia:
RNF Racing will ditch Yamaha machinery in 2023 to join forces with Aprilia, with the team expected to totally overhaul its line-up. Outgoing KTM rider Miguel Oliveira is one of the favorites to take one of the satellite RS-GPs next year, while seat two is wide open.
Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team
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VR46 Ducati:
It is understood Marco Bezzecchi signed a two-year deal with VR46 to race until the end of 2023, while Luca Marini is one a one-year deal for 2022 with an option to extend. However, it is unlikely either rider will lose their place for 2023.
Raul Fernández, KTM Tech3
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Tech3 KTM:
It is thought Pol Espargaro is nearing a deal to return to KTM – with whom he raced from 2017 to 2020 – and Tech3, with whom he made his MotoGP debut in 2014 when it ran Yamaha machinery, for next year.
The second Tech3 seat looks likely to go to either Remy Gardner or Raul Fernandez, but the way in which KTM constructs its contracts makes predicting any of its riders difficult.