Alex Rins MotoGP exit rumour has Jack Miller on high-alert

A rumour from inside the MotoGP paddock has been shared about Alex Rins losing his race seat.

Factory Yamaha rider Rins is contracted for 2026 alongside Fabio Quartararo yet there are doubts arising.

Yamaha’s key decision regarding their rider-line up is within the Pramac satellite project.

They have already signed Toprak Razgatlioglu so must choose whether either of their current riders - Jack Miller or Miguel Oliveira - will stay on the other bike.

Yamaha faced with a decision about Alex Rins

But Dorna report Jack Appleyard has explained how the rider merry-go-round at Yamaha could be even more complex.

“Jack wants to stay in MotoGP. There were offers on the table from WorldSBK but it looks like they have now closed,” Appleyard told Fox Sports’ Pit Talk podcast.

“One was from Honda but it looks like Jake Dixon will take that.

“Suzuka is a huge thing. It is looked upon favourably. The fact that Jack went out there was a big show of faith in Yamaha.

“He’s hoping that he will be rewarded, as a result.”

Miller finished as runner-up as part of a Yamaha squad at the Suzuka 8 Hours, a priority event for the Japanese manufacturers. It could be the boost that Miller needs for a new deal.

“Where he ends up? It swings on the rumours - and I don’t know about the weight of them - about conversations between Yamaha and Alex Rins,” Appleyard explained.

“He is an unbelievable rider with five MotoGP wins to his name, his talent is obvious.

“But it’s clear, unfortunately, to everybody that after a horrific leg break at Mugello he isn’t the same rider anybody.

“It’s difficult conversation to have because he’s a huge talent and a great guy.

“But the position Yamaha are in, at the moment? If they want to break to the next level, I don’t think they can have a rider line-up based on goodwill.

“They need to make tough decisions and be brutal, and get the riders who can take the project forward.

“Whether that’s paying Alex out of his contract a year early, promoting Jack, and putting a rookie alongside Toprak? That’s a scenario that some people see as quite a good fit.

“Jack would be able to step into the factory team, as he did at Ducati and KTM, with a wealth of knowledge.

“He knows how to play the ‘second rider role’. He knows what his job is. He would be able to do the job well supporting Fabio.”

Rins is below satellite rider Miller in the MotoGP standings at the summer break stage.

But he hasn’t shown the captivating form from before his dreadful injury at Mugello in 2023.

The Spanish veteran has only a single top-10 finish in a grand prix this season.

It is a far cry from his race winning pomp, and his 2023 win at the Circuit of the Americas on a Honda is fresh in the memory.

But Yamaha are dead-set on improving their MotoGP fortunes, and riders like Miller have a commercial value which cannot be ignored.

Given they have already signed the exciting Razgatlioglu to Pramac for 2026, it shows Yamaha are happy to make brave decisions.