The 2025 MotoGP rider market mean🌳s some riders will be worrying about their future.

Fabio Quartararo’s confirmation thatꦜ he will stay for two more years at Yamaha is a major domino to fall into place.

Otꦚher teams will begin committing to riders, w🎃hich will inevitably leave somebody without a seat…

Franco Morbidelli

Franco Morbidelli spent the entirety of last year fending off questions about his Yamaha future, witꦇh strong suggestions that he was set to be replaced.

He was ultimately replaced by Alex Rins and, unusually after such a poor period with Yamaha, ended up moving to Pramac Duc♊ati which gave him the best bi🎀ke on the grid.

But Morbidelli’s 2024 started off in the worst possible way, with a serious injury suffered on a training track day which robbed him oꦫf the chance to par☂take in MotoGP preseason testing.

Now, Morbidelli is playing catಞch-up with the Ducati GP24, the most coveted machine on the grid.

He finished 18th in each of the first two grands prix - but in both rounds, his priority was building his physical fitness and fee🎀ling with a bike which he wasn’t able to touch in prese🍌ason.

The problem for Morbﷺidelli is that the ruthlessness of silly season might not ꧃wait for him to develop feeling with the Ducati.

His teammate Jorge Martin is expected to depart Pramac (for the factory team or elsewhere) while Fermin Aldeguer is guaranteed to arrive at a Ducati satellite team next year, pr♕obably with Pramac.

That’s one of Pramac’s bikes accounted for, and the other will be Martin’s if he U-turns and opt♈s to stay.

Morbidelli, unless he can offer a reminder of his t🥂alent, could become a forgotten man.

Augusto Fernandez

Augusto Fernandez might have missed out on a MotoGP⛄ seat this season (which would have been incredibly harsh given he was the 2022 Moto2 champion, and in his rookie premier class year in 2023).

But s🐠uch is the competition within KTM, Fernandez came within a whisker of missing out to Pedro Acosta.

Ultimately, KTM offered a massive show of faith in Fernandez and instead got rid of Pol Espargaro๊.

But that faith means the 🍨Tech3 GASGAS rider must deliver.

He does not need a rem💛inder about KTM’s willingness to axe young riders if they find somebody better.

Already, he is lagging behind his very special and hyped-up teammate Acosta 🌠which isn’t a good look.

Fernandez finished 17th in Qatar and 11th in Portug🐻al, where Acosta was on the podium.

The KTM is looking like the closest ⛦competitor to the Ducati in the early stages of this season which will only increase the competition for the bike that Fernandez rides.

And the arrival of the brilliant Acosta has only increased the spotlight on hi🍷m.

Joan Mir

Less than four years ago Joan Mir was the Moto🅺GP champion with🌱 Suzuki.

Still on💙ly 26, Mir has failed ꦰto establish himself among the top riders on the grid.

Suzuki’s withdrawal left him scrambling 🃏and a good move, on paper, to Repsol Honda became a nightmare.

Last year, Mir’s first with Honda alongside Marc Marquez, was so terrible that he was publicly queᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚstioning whꦗether to retire.

Now with Luca Marini as his teammate, the Honda is still a work in progress and Mir doe𝓀sn’t yet have major reason for optimism.

What is clear is that Honda are utterly determined to restore themselཧves to the top of MotoGP, even if it currently feels like ꦉa long way away.

Marini is contracted into 2025 so, sꩲhould Honda want💮 to plough their considerable financial backing into a new rider, it would come at the expense of Mir.

Raul Fernandez

The rebrand of Trackhouse from RNF means an eꦦxciting future - but perhaps an uncertain 🌜one for its riders.

Raul Fernandez feels particularly vulnerable in comparison to his teammate, former race winner Migue🎀l Oliveira. Trackhouse inherited both riders when they 🔜took over the team.

The suggestion is tha🍎t Trackhouse, now ba🐻cked by the US-based team, might fancy an American rider.

Joe Roberts, of John Hopkins’ American Racing Mo꧃to2 team, has༒ been talking up a move into MotoGP with Trackhouse.

Fernandez, meanwhile, has endured a drab sta💯rt to 2024.

He sta🌞lled on the starting grid of the season-opener at Qatar, then also failed to finish in Portimao.

One of four riders without a point after two rounds, Fernandez knows that earning a MotoGP contract sometimes comes down to more than just performances. He will need to make a major statement in coming weeks to prevent Trackhouse going in their own dire❀ction next year.

Takaaki Nakagami

Takaaki Nakagami is no stranger to the feeling of his MotoGP berth being thr♎eatened.

Last season he was given a reprieve after Ho🌄nda’s horrendous 2023.

But that might have ha♎d something to do with Ai Ogura alꩲso performing below expectation in Moto2, and failing to follow up on his runner-up finish of 2022.

Ogꦗura, as a fellow Japanese rider, would allow Honda to maintain a rider fꦉrom the country of the manufacturer’s origin in its MotoGP line-up.

Ogura has finished fourth and fifth in the first two Moto2 races o𝓡f 🀅the year.

LCR Honda rider Nakagami, meanwhile, has only managed 19th and 14th in a desperate start to🦩 the MotoGP seas🌠on.

He does, at least, have more points than Repsol Honda’s new signing Luca Marini after two roun🦹ds. But Marini’s future is assured after a long-term deal was handed to him.

Nakagami has no such assurances, and is alrea🐠dy trailing behind new teammate Johann Zarco who stepped off a latest-spec Ducati last year.

Honda have majorly restructured their technical staff in a bid to improve 𝔉their on-track fortunes.

They will surely b♛e ruthless in the rider market, too, if they sense an oppo𓂃rtunity to edge closer to the front.