Whether officially announced or not, virtually all the spots on the 2025 MotoGP grid have been finalised. Only one free slot is truly up for grabs at Pramac, where Miguel Oliveira is all-but certain to join from Trackhouse, as Yamaha regains its longed-for satellite squad.
The Japanese company until not so many years ago dominated the premier class with champions such as Valentino Rossi (2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009) and Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012 and 2015). Yamaha's most recent title came just three years ago (2021) with Fabio Quartararo, but it has lost its competitive edge over the European constructors, especially when compared to Ducati.
The turning point in the widening of that gap came precisely when Yamaha lost its satellite team at the end of 2022 due to disagreements with Razlan Razali, the squad's owner. Yamaha executives failed to appreciate the significance of that loss which was accentuated as Rossi, no longer part of its riding stable in 2022, had immediately teamed up with Ducati for his VR46 team and turned his back on the constructor for which he remains a brand ambassador.
This led to Ducati having eight bikes on the grid in 2023 and 2024, further accelerating the development of its bike to a point where it has become unattainable for the rest. Just look at the top 10 at the British Grand Prix, where eight Desmosedici finished in a top 10 which included no Japanese bikes.
Once the serious mistake was detected, Lin Jarvis, Yamaha's director, set to work to recover those two extra bikes as soon as possible. In 2023 he tried to convince Rossi and his VR46 operation to leave Bologna and take the step that everyone thought was natural. The answer then was the same as the one given a year later: no.
"VR46 is our plan A, our first choice and what we want to do. Plan B is Pramac. After that, there are no other alternatives," a Yamaha executive explained to Autosport at Le Mans before a deal with Pramac was finalised at the end of June.
Yamaha has done its homework. Jarvis managed to convince Quartararo to renew his contract and then met one of the first conditions set by the Frenchman to stay by expanding to four M1s for 2025. Last week, the renewal of Alex Rins was announced, closing the factory team's portfolio. With that achieved, the company's leaders are now focusing on putting together the satellite structure.
"It's our partner team; Yamaha provides the bikes, and the riders we're going to decide on, but obviously we're going to agree it with the interests and concerns of Pramac," another senior executive from the Japanese company told Autosport at Silverstone. This authoritative voice was then asked directly who decides on the identity of the Pramac riders.
"The first scenario was to bring in an experienced rider [Oliveira] and a young rider, a rookie," replied the Yamaha source. In this approach, the first candidate to partner the Portuguese rider was Sergio Garcia, and the second, Alonso Lopez, both currently in Moto2.
Autosport understands that Miller is once again a real option to race an M1
"The second possibility was to sign two experienced riders, with knowledge of the category, to help develop the bike more quickly. After talking to Pramac, we evaluated the possibility of a young Italian rider, as a matter of sensitivity with the sponsors," continued the source, referring to the wishes of Prima, the sponsor of Paolo Campionoti's team.
In this context, the name Tony Arbolino has gained momentum, with Quartararo lauding the Moto2 race winner as a good fit. But an important question remains. How determined is Yamaha to put the development of the M1 at the centre?
This weekend at Silverstone, Jack Miller's name was once again on the table. The Australian claimed on Thursday in the run-up to the grand prix that his phone had not rung, as he seeks a new team after KTM promoted Pedro Acosta from Tech3, while signing Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini to the satellite arm.
"I don't have any offers," Miller said, setting off alarm bells in a championship that has always encouraged a diversity of nationalities, but without leaving out the best riders, regardless of their country of origin. "If there are a lot of Italian and Spanish riders on the grid, it is because they are fast," has always been Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta's defence.
Miller's cry for help reached the right ears and, within 48 hours, the Townsville rider who represented Pramac from 2018 to 2020 was seen in its hospitality suite with his manager, Aki Ajo, and a member of the championship's commercial department. Nothing has emerged from the meeting, but Autosport understands that Miller is once again a real option to race an M1.
That would leave Pramac with two riders with identical profiles: Oliveira and Miller are the same age (29) and experience (14 years in the world championship), have won a fairly even number of races (four for Miller and five for Oliveira), have been through factory and satellite teams, know the business and are commercially attractive as the only representatives of their respective countries in MotoGP.
If Miller is deemed to be the solution for decision-makers at Iwata or Gerno di Lesmo, where all Yamaha's operations are now based, it makes perfect sense to close the deal. But if Yamaha comes to Miller's rescue only because of external pressure, it will cast serious doubts on the project.
Keeping a rider based on his passport would lead to the conclusion that the new world championship ownership coming in at the end of the year is more about diversity than speed. But, above all, it would give a true measure of Yamaha's determination to put the development and growth of the bike at the centre of its priorities.
