After Marc Marquez announced his farewell to HRC after thirteen seasons, the list of possible candidates for the vacant seat was the center of attention in the championship. Several names have been put forward to take the place vacated by the number 93, although the fact that the Japanese manufacturer is considering a one-year contract (2024) has led many to rule out such a move.
However, what seems clear is that the search is limited to the current heavyweight class grid, and leaves out any alternatives from Moto2. Like, for example, that of Fermín Aldeguer, who in recent days has been placing him in the orbit of the Tokyo structure.
“There are not many candidates, everyone knows that. We are not evaluating other categories, in principle it is not contemplated,” said Alberto Puig, speaking to Dazn shortly before the afternoon session in Sepang. “I don’t know where he came from,” he replied, referring to Aldeguer’s name. “Yesterday I spoke to his manager about him and asked him where he came from, and he didn’t know what to say either. Fermin is a great rider and has a great future, but not for next year on a MotoGP”, added the former rider, who admitted that he doesn’t have much time before making a decision, given that the chosen rider will have to move up on Honda on the test day after the last race of the season in Valencia.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gresini Racing
Puig highlighted three premier class riders as contenders for the difficult task of replacing Márquez: Fabio Di Giannantonio, Luca Marini and Pol Espargaró. Regarding the first, Puig commented that it is one more option, but not the only one. As for Marini, the main obstacle is his link with the Mooney VR46 team, while as for Espargaró, who wore the Repsol colors in 2021 and 2022, he said that he could actually return.
“We tried to investigate the grid a bit, logically. That’s why I say there aren’t many options, but there are some. Most of the drivers have a contract for another year. To return, a driver has to break the his contract. It’s very complicated, let’s not kid ourselves,” added the manager, before talking about Espargaró: “It could be an option, of course. It’s a real possibility.”
These three are the riders who remained on the list after, according to Puig, many offered themselves, such as Maverick Viñales. “When this news came out, many people were interested in the situation. Viñales has a contract and I would say he is a high-level rider. It wasn’t just him, there were other contacts. But in reality the options are few” , said the Spaniard, who defined the situation as “very serious”, given the tight deadlines.
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