Rider line-up finalised: The complete picture of the premier class for 2027

Ahead of the final MotoGP round, the latest official announcement regarding the MotoGP line-up landed on the desks of the sports media. With the confirmation of Raúl Fernández at Trackhouse-Aprilia, the 17th of 22 positions had been filled. The Spaniard responded in style by winning the Grand Prix at Silverstone. Nevertheless, Trackhouse mastermind Justin Marks has to come to terms with the departure of Ai Ogura, who is still ranked ahead of Fernandez in the World Championship.

There is no longer any doubt about his successor. Enea Bastianini, currently a KTM Tech3 rider, has reached an agreement with the US team – but the required information has yet to be made public. It is conceivable that the official announcement could be timed to coincide with the Misano GP (in just under four weeks’ time), the Italian’s home race, where he has, after all, secured seven victories in five and a half years in MotoGP. ‘La Bestia’ celebrated all his successes on a Ducati; on the KTM RC16, the Italian never managed to finish higher than third.

2027 an der Seite von Toprak Razgatlioglu bei Pramac: Izan Guevara

Foto: Gold and Goose

One other position is also still awaiting final confirmation at Pramac-Yamaha. The Japanese manufacturer’s satellite team will fill the second MotoGP ride alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu through internal promotion – with home-grown talent Izan Guevara. Just in time for the start of the 850cc era, the 2022 Moto3 World Champion has also established himself as a winner in the intermediate World Championship category. Whether Guevara, currently second in the World Championship, moves up as champion or not is unlikely to be decisive. The ride has been secured through the team’s own Moto2 outfit. Here too, Yamaha’s announcement is merely a formality.

That leaves the VR46 and Tech3 teams, neither of which has yet made any announcements regarding these two positions. Rider 1 at VR46-Ducati is set to be Fermin Aldeguer via Ducati Corse’s official junior programme. Aldeguer has proven himself a force to be reckoned with in his 18 months in MotoGP with Gresini. As Aldeguer is even younger than Pedro Acosta, there is a strong desire to keep the second Spanish youngster at Corse – not least because a further contract extension beyond 2028 for Marc Márquez, who will then be 36, in the factory team is highly unlikely.

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Nicolo Bulega: VR46, ok, over and out!

Foto: instagram Nicolo Bulega

Even though Ducati Corse claims not to place any importance on a rider’s nationality, Italy will nevertheless be delighted to have its only compatriot on a Ducati: Nicolo Bulega. For the Italian, who is dominating the Superbike World Championship, joining VR46 in the premier class brings his career full circle. At the end of 2021, the VR46 protégé left the GP paddock, only to return to his roots in 2027 as a two-time world champion.

That leaves Tech3. Ahead of the final MotoGP weekend, three riders still appeared to be in the running for a ride with Günther Steiner. At Silverstone, however, it became clear who would be riding the 850cc customer KTM in 2028. As Steiner persistently spoke of his plan to field a rookie and a seasoned rider, everything finally pointed to the experienced Luca Marini. Marini has it all, apart from a victory in the premier class.

Bildschirmfoto_18-8-2026_134634_www.instagram.com

Foto: instagram Luca Marini

When the owner of the French Tech3 team also explicitly highlighted the youthful potential of Senna Agius in his chat with the media, the picture of the 2027 MotoGP season became clear even without a crystal ball. With engine capacity reduced to just 850cc and without a ride-height device, 17 current MotoGP stars will face off against five rookies. Just two days after the 2026 season finale, a campaign will also get underway in Valencia that will truly deserve the label ‘new’.

Senna Agius wartet noch auf die finale Bestätigung von Tech3 und KTM

Foto: Gold and Goose

2027 MotoGP line-up:

DUCATI:
Lenovo: Marc Márquez (E), Pedro Acosta (E)
VR46: Fermin Aldeguer (E), Nicolo Bulega (I)
Gresini: Daniel Holgado (E), Joan Mir (E)

APRILIA:
Aprilia Racing: Marco Bezzecchi (I), Pecco Bagnaia (I)
Trackhouse: Enea Bastianini (I), Raul Fernandez (E)

KTM:
Factory Racing: Alex Márquez (E), Fabio Di Giannantonio (I)
Tech3: Senna Agius, Luca Marini

HONDA:
HRC: Fabio Quartararo (F), Moreira or Alonso
LCR: Johann Zarco (F), Moreira or Alonso

YAMAHA:
Factory Racing: Jorge Martin (E), Ai Ogura (J)
Pramac: Toprak Razgatlioglu (TR), Izan Guevara (E)
Rider names in bold = not confirmed