Andrea Dovizioso announced his retirement from MotoGP last week. Darryn Binder is the other rider in the current RNF lineup, who currently rides Yamaha’s satellite bike. The South African entered MotoGP this year due to a number of circumstances and is still fighting for his place. Binder still hopes to stick around, but recently announced that a return to Moto2 is a realistic option. In terms of driver selection for 2023, this also means that RNF team manager Wilco Zeelenberg has not yet made it clear.
Aprilia also has its credentials. “At the moment we are not the ones who can say this publicly,” Zeelenberg told reporters at Silverstone. “This has reasons, but you will find out later. It is not to be reserved, but there are some things that are happening behind the scenes and therefore we are unable to announce things. We don’t want to say anything absurd at this stage, it wouldn’t help us. “
Securing the riders for 2023 is a complex puzzle, especially after Suzuki announced its exit from MotoGP. Both drivers of the house of the big S have found a new arrangement, while Miguel Oliveira is one of the veterans still available. The Portuguese is about to leave KTM and was close to an agreement with Gresini Ducati, which, however, has been blown. This is an interesting option for Oliveira, especially now that Aprilia has become one of the best bikes on the grid. Another candidate is Raul Fernandez. He would like to leave KTM, but the Austrian company keeps him under contract. He is now even considering the possibility of moving on to the Superbike or Moto2 championships. The talent of the Spaniard is at home in the premier class. Even in Moto2, talents are scarce this season. Zeelenberg is known in the MotoGP paddock as one of the best talent scouts, but he knows that identifying the new Fabio is not an easy task.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
In 2019, Yamaha started with two young riders and this philosophy – despite the team having been riding in recent years with veterans like Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso – hasn’t changed much. “The desire was very clear in 2019, I don’t think much has been lost on that,” continues Zeelenberg. “If you look at the new generation of MotoGP riders, they are at most 25 years old. Pecco Bagnaia is 25 and the only one of the new generation. The older ones, like Alex Rins and Miguel Oliveira, are all 27 or older. These guys have been through a little longer. They are young, but they are 27 years old. “
“If you analyze their way of running and make a comparison with the younger kids, you understand that they are a new generation, but older. This is the new generation, but over 25 they already belong to the old generation. As for me. Fabio was very young at 19, but before he had a very different trajectory. He was very fast at a young age. There aren’t any more. There aren’t many Fabio, Jorge, Valentino or Marc anymore. Time it passes before such a jewel can be found again. I have had the good fortune to work with such a boy a few times, but you don’t create such a thing. There is a process that precedes it and that is very important. “
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