Marco Bezzecchi
Pramac ace Jack Miller faces an uncertain future beyond the 2026 MotoGP season, as the Australian’s factory Yamaha contract is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
Miller returned to Pramac at the start of 2025, as the Tuscan team started their new chapter as the only satellite Yamaha crew after running Ducati bikes for the previous 21 years. Miller had ridden for Pramac over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, before spells with Ducati and KTM.
Yamaha initially signed Miller to a one-year factory contract to ride for Pramac in 2025 after his release from KTM. The 30-year-old’s form in his first campaign on the YZR-M1 ultimately convinced Yamaha to sign Miller to a new one-year contract in September to stay at Pramac.
Miller will partner Toprak Razgatlioglu at Pramac in 2026 after Yamaha signed the three-time World Superbike champion to a two-year factory contract last June. Razgatlioglu is the only Yamaha rider with a deal for 2027, with Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins also out of contract.
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Pramac and Yamaha are fighting Aprilia to sign KTM Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini
Yamaha are already monitoring the MotoGP rider market to identify potential replacements should Quartararo leave, or Rins and Miller fail to tempt the Japanese manufacturer to offer them new contracts. And Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini has now appeared on Yamaha’s radar.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Enea Bastianini from net worth to career stats
That is according to Motosprint, which reports that Yamaha are interested in a possible deal with Bastianini ahead of his factory KTM contract to ride for Tech3 expiring at the end of the year. And, more precisely, Pramac want Bastianini to form a part of their 2027 rider line-up.
Bastianini even wants to ride a Yamaha M1 from the start of the 850cc MotoGP regulations cycle in 2027. But Yamaha and Pramac are not alone in admiring Bastianini, as Aprilia have also revived their long-standing interest in the 28-year-old as they also study their options.
Aprilia were keen on signing Bastianini after Ducati released the Italian in 2024, but instead chose to sign Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi. Yet with Martin and Bezzecchi both out of contract at the end of 2026, Aprilia are considering a fresh move to sign Bastianini for 2027.
Enea Bastianini could be Pramac Yamaha’s replacement for Jack Miller
Aprilia are expected to sign Bezzecchi to a new contract after the 27-year-old emerged as a title contender during the 2025 season. The Italian is widely expected to be one of the riders to fight Ducati star Marc Marquez for the 2026 title in the final year under the 1,000cc rules.
CEO Massimo Rivola has confirmed that Aprilia are open to giving Martin a new contract, as well, yet the 2024 champion must earn a new deal after his injury-plagued year in 2025. The 27-year-old only started seven of the eight Grands Prix that he entered over the 22 rounds.
READ MORE: The best moments of Jack Miller’s MotoGP career
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Aprilia re-signing Martin as well as Bezzecchi would only help Pramac and Yamaha’s pursuit of Bastianini, to the potential further detriment of Miller. Razgatlioglu cannot currently join Yamaha’s factory team due to his Red Bull sponsorship, as Monster backs the Iwata natives.
Miller was the second-best Yamaha rider during the 2025 season after scoring 79 points for Pramac, while Quartararo scored 201 with the factory team. Factory rider Rins secured 68 points, while Miguel Oliveira scored 43 for Pramac before Yamaha terminated his contract.
Yamaha also saw the benefits of re-signing Miller to ride for Pramac in 2026 as they develop a V4 engine. But the Japanese crew will want to see improved results from the Australian in 2026. Miller only finished inside the top 10 once in the final 10 rounds of the 2025 season.
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