Team Director Uccio Salucci states there are two riders in the running to replace Luca Marini in the team.
Silly season continues to rumble on in MotoGP™, despite the final round of the campaign having already got underway. With Luca Marini all but confirmed to take the Repsol Honda seat for 2024, attention is focused on who will replace the Italian at Mooney VR46 Racing Team.
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), the Qatar GP winner, has emerged as the favourite for the seat after his stunning recent run of form, but VR46 Team Director Uccio Salucci has admitted that they are in talks with another rider too after speaking to MotoGP™ Pitlane reporter Jack Appleyard during Practice at the Valencia GP. A decision still needs to be made, and Team Owner and MotoGP™ Legend Valentino Rossi will have the final say on the matter.
“We have two options and Vale has come to talk, he is the real boss, not me. In the next few days, we will try to find the right decision for us. I said no to Di Giannantonio at the beginning because our project was more about the rookie riders, but anyway, we need to see. Fabio in the last two or three races was unbelievable, and we spoke a lot to him yesterday. Vale is coming here to decide, to make the right decision for 2024.”
When quizzed about the identity of the other option, Salucci remained tight-lipped but did rule out a move for one of the sport’s rising stars: “No, it is not [Fermin] Aldeguer. It’s another very young rider and we will see in the next two days.”
With the first Test of 2024 coming up on Tuesday, time is of the essence for the VR46 squad to make a decision.
