Podcast: Four key names in the 2027 MotoGP rider market

The 2025 MotoGP season has only just finished, but the rider market for the 2027 campaign is already dominating headlines.

The 2027 MotoGP season will see a major reset for the series, as it introduces new machinery for the first time since 2012.

But the grid is also set for a major reshuffle, as almost all contracts - including every rider at a factory team - is up for renewal at the end of 2026.

As such, deals are set to be done quickly in 2026.

While there will certainly be a lot of surprises in how the 2027 grid looks, there are four key names who seemingly hold the biggest influence on the rider market.

In the latest Crash MotoGP Podcast, the team looks at the situations surrounding Fabio Quartararo, Pedro Acosta, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

Two of those names already look highly sought after, while two of them hold prime spots off the back of difficult campaigns in 2025.

Download the Crash MotoGP Podcast here

“I think you do get the impression, and what you hear from the people around him, is he’s not money-motivated,” Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren said of Pedro Acosta. “He’s not going to be interested in if he has the biggest pay packet in MotoGP. He wants to fight for the championship. That frustration at the start of the year illustrates that. So, I do think that he will be looking first and foremost at what is the most competitive package that he can get, which is a huge gamble to decide that with so many unknowns in place. I think KTM will have a fight to keep him, just because he’s going to want those assurances about them going to race [in 2027].”