VR46: MotoGP 2027? “We have to be ready for everything” - Exclusive

It’s all-change in MotoGP for 2027, with 850cc engines, a ban on ride-height devices and Pirelli taking over from Michelin as exclusive tyre supplier.

But the rider market could also face a major shake-up, with only three riders so far announced as having contracts beyond the end of this year.

VR46 is among the teams with both its riders - Fabio di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli - out of contract after this season.

Asked if VR46 could have some big decisions to make, team principal Pablo Nieto told Crash.net:

“Yeah. Already started talking, always coming earlier and earlier. But I can understand because in ‘27, 90% of the riders are going to be free.

“From ‘25 to ‘26 is, let's say, a little bit more boring! Nothing happens. But ‘26 to ‘27 is going to be a big change in MotoGP. So we have to be ready for everything.”

VR46 held exploratory talks with Pedro Acosta early last season, before the Spanish star committed to another year at KTM.

Nieto confirmed the door remains open for Acosta - describing it as “a dream” to have him in the team - but stressed that VR46’s priority is giving its current riders the chance to secure their futures on track.

“We would like to try to keep the same riders, because in the end we want to give the opportunity [to get good results] to our riders,” Nieto said.

“But you never know what happens. So we have to try to make our best, try to have the best riders. And we are focused on that.”

di Giannantonio, who races with factory-spec machinery, is contracted directly to Ducati, while Academy rider Morbidelli is signed directly to VR46.

The pair finished sixth (di Giannantonio) and seventh (Morbidelli) in the 2025 MotoGP standings, with a combined total of 13 top-three finishes.

Ducati’s factory-supported satellite team will unveil its new 2026 race livery in Rome on Wednesday.