Is this the biggest rider transfer season ever? It seems every other day brings a new surprise announcement or frenzy of rumours. The entertainment off the track is almost as good as the races themselves. However you feel about the different signings, I think the feeling is unanimous that we are in for a heck of a 2025 season.

 

Let’s have a look back over these past few weeks of off-track action and just come to terms with the huge changes coming our way in 2025.

 

Starting with the ‘race for factory Ducati’ and the signing of Marc Marquez. After just one year at Gresini, following the shock exit from Repsol, it is evident that Marc’s hunger for the podium has not slowed down. Marc has shown already in the 2024 season, race after race, that he is adapting more and more to the Ducati. It is actually scary how quickly Marquez came back from the despair of constant crashes and fighting for points to staying on the bike and getting consistent podiums. Although there has not been a win for Marc just yet, it’s only a matter of time, and let’s not forget he is on an older bike compared to the rest of the top 3. I actually believe that Marc has evolved; he has learned from the mistakes he made in 2019. He seems to be using his racing brain more than his racing brawn. Even though he claims to not be a contender for the title this year, I do believe he could be a dark horse, and his consistency could land him in very close contention. I, for one, was incredibly excited to hear the news that Marc signed for factory Ducati, lining up a truly historic and fairytale comeback from the horrific crash in 2019.

 

Jorge Martin, I think, shook the whole paddock when his off-track best friend, Aleix, revealed him as his replacement rider at Factory Aprilia. I had heard rumours that he could potentially fill Aleix’s shoes quite early on; however, they never got much recognition because of the seemingly obvious move to factory Ducati. Although I was happy to hear that Marc is going to be in red for 2025, I couldn’t help but be slightly bewildered at how Ducati managed to lose the current number 1 in the championship and championship runner-up last year. I think the relationship between Aleix and Jorge was obviously a major reason for the decision, but I also believe that Ducati may have tried to be too greedy in wanting to keep both Marc and Jorge. Martin’s consistency this season is scary; it’s almost inevitable each weekend that Jorge is going to be 1st in at least one race. Whether that is the bike or the rider, we will find out soon enough. We know that the Aprilia is a race-winning bike; we know it’s capable with both Aleix and Vinales taking top podium spots. The only question is if Jorge can adapt to the machine.

 

Rookie superstar Pedro ‘the Shark’ Acosta has made waves already this season, proving that he is capable not only of keeping up but competing with the big boys in MotoGP. He is the logical investment for the factory KTM team. KTM will be hoping that investing their confidence in such a special young rider will pay off in dividends as he matures into the championship, hopefully competing for more than race wins, but for titles. Unfortunately, the start of Pedro’s illustrious career may, in turn, be the end for a crowd favourite. Jack Miller, a personality on and off the track, has already said that he needs to improve his form to survive in the MotoGP paddock. His disappointing form this year and his newly announced departure from the factory KTM team do raise a bit of a question mark over his future in MotoGP. Both Miller and Daniel Ricciardo have striking similarities in their journeys. Unfortunately, I think for Jack, the hopes of competing for a title have long gone, and I don’t see him even competing with the top 5 riders in the championship.

 

Probably the most recent announcement, and for me, the most confusing, is Maverick Vinales departing the factory Aprilia team to join Enea Bastianini at Tech 3 KTM. I personally feel that this was not a particularly wise move from the Spaniard; however, he does have a history of not being able to settle with a team. I think that there comes a time where the only common denominator in each of the situations is Maverick himself. At Yamaha, I could sympathise; however, the Aprilia machine is a race-winning bike. It does seem like it could be an ego problem with Vinales. Each time he is not the ‘main man’ he seems to throw his toys out of the pram. Yes, he won a race, he showed he’s fast, but consistency is key. You cannot expect to have any leverage without consistent race wins or podiums. I honestly can’t ever see Maverick being a champion in his career, and this move could potentially be his last.

 

There is still plenty of space left on the grid for 2025; I am sure there will be a few surprise decisions to come. Marini isn’t happy at Honda, Joan Mir is yet to confirm where he will go, and Repsol is leaving Honda, which does not look good for their development. There are two seats up for grabs to be on a Honda and one for a Yamaha for 2025… the only question is why would a rider want to risk it?

 

We also have the question of who we are going to lose completely from the grid: Miller, Rins, Di Gi

annantonio, Oliveira, Raul, or Augusto. Only time will tell.