Marco Bezzecchi
Celestino Vietti wants to earn a MotoGP seat on his own accord, after Valentino Rossi put his name in the running for a seat at VR46 in 2027.
Rossi’s team have been heavily active in the MotoGP rider market for next season. Fabio Di Giannantonio is set to join KTM alongside Alex Marquez.
Have VR46 made the right decision signing Fermin Aldeguer over Pedro Acosta?
VR46 acted quickly to sign his replacement, with Ducati moving Fermin Aldeguer across satellite teams from Gresini in 2027. He is set to receive factory support as MotoGP enters the 850cc era.
With one rider signed, although unconfirmed due to the delay in the Concorde Agreement, Rossi needs to lock in his second rider for 2027. At the Catalan GP, he mentioned Moto2 star Vietti as an option.
Celestino Vietti wants to ‘deserve’ a MotoGP seat amid VR46 links
A member of the VR46 academy, the 24-year-old is in his sixth season in Moto2 and second with the SpeedRS Team on a Boscoscuro. He is looking to challenge for the title, having never finished higher than seventh in the championship.
With P2 finishes in Austin and Barcelona, claiming pole position in the latter, Vietti is third in the standings in 2026. The door to MotoGP could be open for him in 2027, with Franco Morbidelli out of contract at the end of this season.
However, Morbidelli remains in the frame for the VR46 seat next year, as do Nicolo Bulega and Honda’s Luca Marini. Vietti is facing huge competition, but he wants to prove that he deserves the seat.
Which Italian rider should Valentino Rossi sign for VR46 in 2027?
Speaking via Moto.It, the Moto2 rider was asked about Rossi putting the four Italians in the mix for the seat, to which he replied: “I’m coming to find out now. I’ve never heard this before, he never told me, so I’ll do the best I can, then we’ll see.”
Asked if he speaks to Rossi when he is in the paddock, Vietti added: “Yes, I spend the evenings in hospitality, because if he comes around, he gets tackled, so I always stop by in the evenings and tell me a thing or two.
“Then we text each other even though we’re here, and then in the evening we chat a bit about how things went. He always gives me his very precise advice.”
Then, talking about a potential MotoGP seat in 2027, he said: “I mean, it’s not a thought, in the sense that I think about it because I want to go, but it’s not something that bothers me or benefits me, in the sense that I just want to do well so I can deserve a place.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Riders Academy
Valentino Rossi says the ‘fastest’ rider will be the ‘favourite’ for the VR46 seat
Rossi wants an Italian rider at VR46 in 2027, with Morbidelli, Marini, Bulega and Vietti being the four riders in consideration to partner with Aldeguer. The seven-time MotoGP champion says the ‘fastest’ will be the ‘favourite’.
He said, via Moto.It: “Bulega, Marini, Vietti? Let’s not forget Morbidelli, he’s our rider. He had a very difficult start, but it must be said that the older Ducatis are struggling more, even Aldeguer.
“We need at least one Italian rider, so the names you mentioned are our priorities. As I tell them, the important thing is the results: Vietti wasn’t there until last week, then he took pole…
“The important thing is to finish at the front; in these races, whoever proves to be the fastest will be the favourite.
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