Rating the top five 2023 MotoGP rider moves after Mir and Oliveira signings

With just a handful of seats left to be filled for the 2023 MotoGP rider line-up, Crash.net rates the best signings of the 2022 ‘Silly season’.

Robert Jones

31 Aug 2022

Enea Bastianini, Ducati MotoGP Red Bull Ring, Austria 2022

With Joan Mir, Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez becoming the latest riders to secure big moves to other teams, the list of remaining seats available has been cut down to just four.

Two of those are expected to remain unchanged as Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi look set to remain at Mooney VR46 Ducati.

The other two seats involve the second GASGAS Tech 3 KTM ride as Remy Gardner and Augusto Fernandez are in contention, while the same goes for Takaaki Nakagami and Ai Ogura at LCR Honda.

Enea Bastianini to Lenovo Ducati - 9

One of the most highly-anticipated decisions of the 2022 MotoGP season was who would partner Francesco Bagnaia at the factory team next season.

Bastianini, winner of three races already this year, had results on his side which ultimately proved too much for Jorge Martin to overcome.

Bastianini, who has been achieving said results on last year’s GP21 machine, won’t necessarily be expected to get the better of Bagnaia, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if he did at times next season.

On identical machinery as his fellow Italian, there’s no reason Bastianini can’t become a title threat in the future especially if Ducati continues to show the level of performance we’ve seen in recent years.

Joan Mir to Repsol Honda - 9

While Mir is currently sidelined after suffering bone and ligament fractures in his right foot following a crash at the Red Bull Ring, there’s no denying that the Spaniard was in great form earlier this season.

Given Honda are in the midst of a terrible run, one of its worst in Grand Prix racing history, expecting Mir to challenge for wins is unlikely at the start of next season.

However, the former Suzuki rider has been one of the more consistent riders in MotoGP since 2019 and until this year he’s also proven to be relatively injury-free, which is another factor that has plagued Honda of late.

The 2020 world champion could be exactly the rider Honda needs as it looks to build itself back into a championship contender, while having Marc Marquez on the other side of the garage is likely to push Mir even further.

Alex Rins to LCR Honda - 8

When it was announced that Suzuki would leave MotoGP at the end of this season, rumours surrounding the future of Rins began to heat up.

Both he and Mir appeared destined to switch to Honda early on, although there was less certainty regarding Rins.

Aprilia also seemed to be an option before Rins committed his future to LCR Honda on a two-year deal.

A move that could turn out to be great for both sides, Rins is likely to be a big force in helping Honda move back up the pecking order.

Consistency has at times been an issue for the Spaniard again in 2022, however, the pure performance he’s shown - has secured four top five finishes including two podiums this season - is the type of pace and results the team has not had since Cal Crutchlow.

Whether it was Silverstone when Rins went from 10th to first during the opening stages of the race or performances like Argentina and COTA when he was the first non Ducati or Aprilia rider, Rins has shown the ability to regularly find his way towards the front of the field.

Jack Miller to Red Bull KTM Racing - 8

With countless storylines to follow next season, Miller’s move to KTM is one that could fly under the radar.

Leaving Ducati for KTM at this current juncture does not appear to be a great move given the Italian manufacturer arguably has the best bike on the grid. However, switching to the factory KTM team might not be the worst idea.

KTM, although inconsistently, have shown a knack for being able to win races, something Miller can do when at his best.

Being teammates with Brad Binder won’t be easy given the South African’s performances ever since moving up to MotoGP, but Miller should help the Austrian brand make strides forward after it seemingly regressed over the last two seasons.

On a run of three podiums from the last four races, Miller will bring much needed consistency to the team which has been lacking at times from Miguel Oliveira.

Pol Espargaro to GASGAS Tech 3 Factory Racing - 7

If there was ever a time and team that Espargaro needed then it’s now and with KTM.

Two hugely frustrating campaigns with Honda will come to an end after this season as he makes a return to KTM.

Prior to leaving KTM at the end of 2020, Espargaro was beginning to produce top five finishes with regularity.

Although a win never came his way, the Spaniard showed that he was more than ca[able of doing so.