Contracts cut short: 12 MotoGP riders who departed early

Marco Melandri: Ducati (2008), Aprilia (2015)

A five-time Gresini Honda race winner and title runner-up, Marco Melandri signed to join reigning champion Casey Stoner at the factory Ducati team for 2008.

However, Melandri, like many others, struggled on the 800cc Desmosedici. With a best of fifth place, and just three top-ten finishes, a mutually split was agreed before year two of the deal.

After leaving MotoGP for WorldSBK at the end of 2010, Melandri made an ill-fated comeback with Aprilia in 2015, which ended after eight races and zero points.

Colin Edwards: Forward Yamaha (2014)

Colin Edwards opted to end his final MotoGP season, with Forward Yamaha, early, by retiring at his home US-round in Indianapolis, halfway through the 2014 season. Alex de Angelis took over for the remaining events, alongside Aleix Espargaro.

Cal Crutchlow: Ducati Team (2014)

Cal Crutchlow and Ducati agreed to end their two-year contract early, allowing Andrea Iannone to take over alongside Andrea Dovizioso for 2015. The Englishman moved to LCR Honda, where he would later claim three race wins.

Sam Lowes: Aprilia Gresini (2017)

Moto2 title contender Sam Lowes thought he had two years to learn the MotoGP ropes with Aprilia, but the factory used an option to replace him with countryman Scott Redding for 2018.

Jonas Folger: Tech3 Yamaha (2018)

After an impressive start to his MotoGP career, including second in his home German Grand Prix, Jonas Folger suddenly withdrew from the final rounds of the 2017 campaign due to health reasons.

Subsequently diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome, Tech3 expected Folger to be back for 2018 but were forced to find a last-minute replacement, Hafizh Syahrin, when the German announced he would not return.

Johann Zarco: Red Bull KTM (2019)

A satellite star during two seasons at Tech3 Yamaha, where he finished runner-up on four occasions, Johann Zarco was snapped up by the factory KTM team for 2019-2020.

However, the Frenchman struggled to break into the top ten and, by mid-season, had requested to be released from year two. Zarco intended to finish the 2019 season but was replaced by test rider Mika Kallio.

Zarco returned as a stand-in rider for LCR Honda in the final rounds, then began rebuilding his career with a move to Ducati for 2020, at Avintia, then Pramac.

Karel Abraham: Avintia Ducati (2019)

Zarco’s unexpected appearance on the 2020 rider market came at the expense of Karel Abraham, whose Avintia Ducati seat went to the Frenchman.

Jorge Lorenzo: Repsol Honda (2019)

It was billed as a dream team, but the arrival of triple MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo alongside then five-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda ended in early retirement for the #99.

Injuries and poor results left former Yamaha and Ducati race winner Lorenzo with just 28 points by the end of the season, when he left his HRC contract a year early by mutual consent.

Andrea Iannone: Aprilia Racing (2020)

A four-year anti-doping ban left Andrea Iannone unable to serve the second season of his factory Aprilia contract in 2020, and effectively ended his grand prix career.

Maverick Vinales: Monster Yamaha (2021)

The end of the Maverick Vinales-Yamaha partnership began with an agreement to cancel the second (2022) year of his contract, in mid-2021. Both sides pledged to see out the rest of the season, but an immediate split occurred when Vinales was accused of deliberately over-revving his engine in frustration at the Austrian Grand Prix. Vinales joined Aprilia a few rounds later.

Andrea Dovizioso: RNF Yamaha (2022)

After failing to agree on terms for an extension with Ducati, triple MotoGP title runner-up Andrea Dovizioso sat out most of the 2021 season before being called up by RNF in the aftermath of the Yamaha reshuffle triggered by Vinales’ exit. But with all riders barring Fabio Quartararo struggling badly on the M1, the Italian departed exactly a year later, at his home Misano round, marking the end of his grand prix career.

Pol Espargaro: GASGAS Tech3 (2023)

KTM faced a conundrum in finding a MotoGP seat for rising star Pedro Acosta in 2024. Ultimately, Pol Espargaro, badly injured at the start of the season, was persuaded to switch from a race seat to test and wild-card duties, freeing up space for Acosta to join Augusto Fernandez in his rookie 2024 campaign.

Marc Marquez: Repsol Honda (2023)

The most famous recent example of a rider departing before the end of a contract was Marc Marquez’s Repsol Honda split in 2023.

The six-time MotoGP champion still had a year to run on a lengthy four-year deal but, after several injury-plagued seasons on an uncompetitive RC213V, an amicable settlement was made allowing Marquez to join Gresini Ducati in 2024.