Marco Bezzecchi
The MotoGP rider market is starting to intensify as the summer break approaches and some of the pilots look to settle their future.
It feels like there are quite a few teams in limbo and waiting for a decision to be made on Jorge Martin’s future before deciding on who to pick for 2026.
If the reigning champion opts to leave Aprilia, then there will be a big seat at a factory team to be filled on relatively short notice.
One of those linked with that potential opening is Enea Bastianini, suffering a miserable time with Tech3 in 2025 since leaving Ducati over the winter.
Jorge Lorenzo thinks Bastianini is the perfect Martin replacement and that the combination of an Italian rider with an Italian team would work really well.
Bastianini was ‘about to’ terminate his £4m contract just a few weeks ago and continues to struggle on a KTM bike. It just doesn’t seem to suit him.
READ MORE: Jorge Martin could make surprise move to six-win MotoGP team if they switch to Honda bikes for 2026
Carlo Pernat says Enea Bastianini’s Tech3 contract is ‘quite open’ and could prompt exit
Bastianini would ‘gladly’ leave his troubled team, and sits 15th in the riders’ standings – the lowest of all KTM riders.
Contrastingly, teammate Maverick Vinales has been the Austrian manufacturer’s best performer in 2025, and even challenged for a win in Qatar.
Bastianini’s ex-agent Carlo Pernat is a man with lots of experience in the paddock, and he has made a prediction for how the MotoGP rider market will unfold.
He thinks that Bastianini could be a factor if he decides to leave Tech3, with his contract being ‘quite open’.
“Aprilia has been the brand of my life, of course, I could see it. And it was about to happen in the past. I don’t know, I want to say it, if and what kind of negotiations Enea has underway,” he told Mowmag.
“But what I can say with certainty, having worked there, is that his contract with KTM is quite open. In short: Enea has the chances of freeing himself all in all.”
How Enea Bastianini has a history with potential Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi
Replacing Martin at Aprilia would see Bastianini reunited with ex-Moto3 rival Marco Bezzecchi. All three riders raced together in Moto3 in 2018.
At the 2018 Thai Grand Prix, Bezzecchi, who was competing for the title with Martin, was accidentally taken out by Bastianini.
He apologised for the incident and they moved on, with Bezzecchi finishing third in the standings, and Bastianini right behind him in fourth at the end of the year.
The two know each other well and are entering the middle of their MotoGP careers. With the level of experience they have, they could be a good combination to take their teams forward.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
