Marco Bezzecchi
Danilo Petrucci recalls when he lost his Ducati seat to Jack Miller when discussing early MotoGP rider moves.
Ahead of the start of the 2026 MotoGP season, the rider market for the 2027 season has kicked into overdrive with moves being sorted ahead of the opening Grand Prix.
It has been suggested by current riders that the grid for 2027 will be sorted after two or three races in 2026.
It appears the majority of the factory seats for 2027 have been sorted, as it is expected that Marc Marquez will remain at Ducati, with Pedro Acosta moving from KTM to join him.
Former world champion Francesco Bagnaia has supposedly signed a deal with Aprilia that could see him with the Italian manufacturer until 2030.
As well as Fabio Quartararo leaving Yamaha to join Honda, and Jorge Martin leaving Aprilia to make the move to Yamaha.
Although these early moves from the outside look exciting and are a talking point, it has been suggested that they do not benefit the riders or teams.
FOUR YEARS?! 😲 Has Pecco Bagnaia made the right decision for 2027?
Danilo Petrucci ‘struggles to understand’ early rider moves
Whilst talking MotoGP with Moto.it, Danilo Petrucci was asked about the early rider moves and questioned about whether he had ever experienced the early contract talks.
To which the Italian looked back on the 2020 MotoGP season, which experienced a delayed start due to Covid. However, this delay did not slow the rider market as Ducati had decided to move on from Petrucci before the opening race at Jerez.
As an example, Petrucci looked at Jorge Martin, who suffered multiple injuries during the 2025 season. The Italian explained how anything can happen during the season, so early commitment to a rider could be a mistake.
Petrucci said, “Yes, I did in 2020 while separated at home due to Covid. Where Ducati took the riders of the following years, Bagnaia and Miller, when the championship was still supposed to start in 2020.
“It is clear that it is not good for anyone. This is why I always struggle to understand what it really means to do all this at this time of year, without even seeing how the rider performs during the year.
“Because anything could happen, it could happen like what happened to Martin, who gets injured, or something happens before you’ve actually seen how a rider performs during the year.”
Does MotoGP need to introduce a transfer window?
Is a transfer window a good idea for MotoGP?
There have been suggestions that to slow down the rider market in MotoGP, a transfer window should be introduced to the sport.
Former Grand Prix winner, Carlos Checa, is one of the riders who have suggested the idea as he believes it would help keep MotoGP competitive.
The Spaniard believes that the likes of Pedro Acosta, Francesco Bagnaia, and Jorge Martin will not be fully motivated in 2026 as they have already committed to a different manufacturer for 2027.
Checa believes there should be a block of time in the middle of the season where teams and riders are allowed to discuss contracts for the next season.
This would allow riders and manufacturers to have an idea of how riders and bikes are performing before making their decision for the following season.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
