Jorge Martinez Aspar wants his team to continue with Ducati, leaving Yamaha fewer options as for a satellite team
Although we already know many things about the next MotoGP season, especially where the main riders will be, there’s still a lot of unknowns. But in the next few days we will have an answer as to which machinery the Angel Nieto Team, run by Aspar, will use from 2019 onward.
According to the team’s sporting director, Gino Borsoi, the Aspar structure is close to finish a deal to continue their partnership with Ducati. The team is happy with the support the Italian manufacturer gives them, and even if Yamaha pressed them to make a new deal and become a Yamaha satellite team, Borsoi confirms that they will probably remain with Ducati.
Going for their fourth season with Ducati, the Angel Nieto Team is still unsure who they will have riding the Italian machines.
Gino Borsoi says, quoted by MotoGP.com, that the team is looking for an experienced rider as well as a Moto2 rider to move up to MotoGP with them. Probably Alvaro Bautista will remain with the team, but Czech rider Karel Abraham, even if he has the money to pay for his seat on the team, should be replaced by a young talent from the Moto2 field.
The decision from the Aspar outfit to remain with Ducati leaves Yamaha in a difficult position.
The Japanese manufacturer doesn’t have many valid options as to who can be its satellite team. Marc VDS was the stronger candidate, but the recent internal financial problems cooled down the interest of Yamaha in a partnership with Marc VDS.
As a matter of fact, there’s many doubts as if Marc VDS team will continue to have a team in MotoGP, and if they decide to terminate their structure in MotoGP, there’s a growing opinion that they will be replaced by a team backed by Monster Energy.
That would be the best option for Yamaha to have a satellite team, and in that team it’s almost guaranteed that Franco Morbidelli will be there.
As for the second rider, and because of the situation with Ducati and the Monster Energy sponsorship, Jorge Lorenzo might be the chosen one.
Dorna doesn’t want to see Lorenzo without a ride next season, and they will surely try to get Lorenzo a factory bike. Yamaha, even if they didn’t want to give Tech3 a factory spec M1, seems to be happy with the return of Jorge Lorenzo to the brand, and they are now willing to put together a third Yamaha M1 with factory specs just for the Spanish rider.
Because these are all rumours, we will need to wait a few more days (maybe weeks) to find out if all these things are confirmed.