No risk: Trackhouse Racing and Raul Fernandez – agreement for 2027

No sooner had the official contracts between MotoGP and the five manufacturers been signed than the first rider contracts began to be announced. Right at the forefront: Aprilia. The project leading the manufacturers’ standings is banking entirely on Italy as the new MotoGP era begins. The ‘Azzurro’ dream team, comprising Marco Bezzecchi and Pecco Bagnaia, was presented to the public with great fanfare.

With this strategy deliberately focused on home-grown talent, the signs that Trackhouse Racing would follow suit and also field an all-Italian line-up from 2027 onwards became increasingly clear. For months now, Enea Bastianini’s move to replace Ai Ogura (who will be racing for Yamaha in 2027) had been regarded as a foregone conclusion. When KTM finally let the deadline for extending Bastianini’s contract pass at the end of June, it became definitively clear that ‘La Bestia’ would be back on an Italian bike next season.

This speculation was fuelled by a statement from Trackhouse manager Davide Brivio. During the Balaton GP, he had adopted a neutral stance towards Raul Fernandez, neither ruling out nor pushing for a contract for 2027. Raul Fernandez responded with a sporting offensive. Following his devastating crash in Hungary – caused, of all people, by his team-mate Jorge Martin – Fernandez, despite being unwell, finished 6th and 7th at Brno. Just days later, having recovered, he steered the Trackhouse bike to victory in the sprint and back onto the podium in second place in the GP.

Hat erfolgreich für seine MotoGP-Zukunft gekämpft: Raul Fernandez

Foto: Gold and Goose

In the World Championship standings, the Madrid-born rider jumped two places to sixth. Although ‘RF25’ is the lowest-ranked of the four RS-GP riders, his market value has risen. Fernandez was back in the mix at Trackhouse too. As previously reported on SPEEDWEEK.com, the management of the only US MotoGP team opted for a one-year deal to keep Fernandez on board. It remains unclear whether the management has committed to this short-term solution. This is unlikely to alter the general decision to chase points together once again. Rather than relying on the services of a newcomer, two established riders are set to maintain the team’s current momentum.

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It is worth remembering that in 2025, Trackhouse finished the season in seventh place in the team standings with Fernández and rookie Ai Ogura. The situation is currently entirely different. With the Assen highlight – a milestone in the young team’s history – they cemented second place in the World Championship standings. With 306 points, Justin Marks’ private team is 23 points behind the long-unbeatable Ducati Lenovo squad! Unlike in the past, they now have far more to lose than to gain. The risk of crashing out – especially with a generational shift in technology and two Aprilia rookies – would be much harder to justify.

The as-yet-unconfirmed decision to sign World Championship sixth-placed rider Raul Fernandez to Trackhouse as Bastianini’s team-mate also reduces the opportunities for a rookie. The two Moto2 Intact GP riders, Manuel Gonzalez and Senna Agius – who most recently stood together on the Moto2 podium once again at Assen – are now only on Tech3’s list. Whether individually or as a pair, both options are conceivable.