Dorna have ‘closed the doors’ on two riders who wanted Jack Miller’s Pramac seat

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Jack Miller is an asset to longtime MotoGP bosses Dorna Sports and new owners Liberty Media. He’s one of only two riders on the grid who speak English as a first language.

With no American or British riders represented in the premier class, Miller and KTM’s Brad Binder have won many fans in crucial markets. It’s particularly important that the Pramac rider keeps his seat given that Phillip Island is on the calendar until 2026.

Miller’s future has been far from certain in recent times. He was the last rider announced for 2025 as Paolo Campinoti handed him a lifeline following his release from KTM.

And it wasn’t until the start of this month that Yamaha confirmed his contract would be renewed for next year. Toprak Razgatlioglu’s arrival at Pramac, announced back in June, meant either Miller or Miguel Oliveira were bound to lose their seat.

Dorna tried to stop Sergio Garcia and Manu Gonzalez replacing Jack Miller

Even when Yamaha decided to activate a performance clause in Oliveira’s deal, Miller wasn’t safe. Moto2 championship leader Manuel Gonzalez was an option for Pramac.

According to Motorsport Espana, Dorna ‘closed the door’ on Gonzalez. Spurred on by Liberty, they want to ‘diversify the nationalities’ on the grid.

There are already nine Spanish riders in the premier class, accounting for nearly half the grid. That may have hurt Gonzalez, with the sport’s bosses lobbying for Miller to stay.

A year ago, Sergio Garcia was hoping for the Pramac seat before Dorna intervened on Miller’s behalf.

It should be said that there were several factors at play. For instance, Yamaha’s Japanese management wanted to keep Miller, whose experience will be helpful in developing the new V4 engine.

Dorna will be thrilled by two new signings for the 2026 MotoGP season

As the report points out, MotoGP ‘will lose two nationalities’ for next year. Somkiat Chantra is being replaced at LCR, making his stint as the first-ever Thai rider short-lived.

Chantra sits 26th out of 27 riders in the championship, so he’s lacked the results to go along with his commercial value. Expected replacement Diogo Moreira arrives at the perfect time as the Brazilian GP returns to the calendar.

Meanwhile, Toprak Razgatlioglu is bound to bring legions of Turkish fans to the grid. In a MotoGP rider market that was largely stagnant, his debut is the most exciting storyline.

Dorna would like to see Oliveira back in 2027, though, because of his strong following in Portugal. It’s clearly a difficult balancing act, but it seems the dominance of Spain and Italy could be under threat.