The 2022 MotoGP World Championship grid has almost taken shape after some recent announcements, led by news that Valentino Rossi will be stepping down at the end of the season.
With many riders in the midst of two-year contract cycles, the MotoGP field in 2022 will look relatively similar to this year’s, especially with the works teams, where only two seats out of twelve could change.
As Aprilia and Gresini Racing split up to focus on their respective projects for the next season, 12 teams and 24 confirmed drivers will be on the grid from 2022.
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Who is confirmed for the 2022 MotoGP season?
Suzuki and Honda confirmed their MotoGP rider line-up for 2022 more than a year ago with two-year contracts defining their factory-fitted candidates.
While defending the title this year isn’t quite going according to plan, Suzuki is set to head into a fourth season with 2020 MotoGP World Champions Joan Mir and Alex Rins, which will undoubtedly be a relief for the latter given his difficult campaign so far.
Similarly, after a humble period of time, Honda will have increased focus on 2022 as it grapples with a spirited RC213V package and a Marc Marquez still recovering from an injury. He’s staying with the manufacturer for his tenth season, with Pol Espargaro by his side.
Yamaha, meanwhile, initially tied its rider pairing Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales, but the latter has agreed to close his two-year deal early. Instead, the Spaniard will leave at the end of the year and join Aprilia Racing, where he will join Aleix Espargaro, replacing Lorenzo Savadori, while Franco Morbidelli is expected to move up from Petronas SRT Yamaha in 2022.
After a major overhaul for 2021, with Ducati taking on the (somewhat unwittingly) role of nurturing young talent, Ducati has determined that it doesn’t take the “big commitment” to be successful, with Jack Miller, Pecco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco proved more than capable of filling that gap between them.
Miller and Bagnaia will stay in factory colors in 2021, Zarco will be another year at Pramac alongside Jorge Martin, whose pole and podium in only his second race almost sealed his extended stay before his injury-related break before he went on to secure a sensational first victory in Austria .
KTM will also hold on to its victorious protégé Brad Binder for 2022 – the first season of a bold three-year deal – while Miguel Oliveira has put on record that he has a deal with the manufacturer for next season as well, although there is no formal announcement from the Austrian Company.
Of the remaining satellite teams, LCR Honda will win another year with Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez, while Tech 3 KTM presents an entirely new rookie pairing after the promotion of its Moto2 racer Remy Gardner – son of 1987 500GP world champion Wayne Gardner becomes Raul Fernandez.
Gresini Racing returns as an independent rider with Ducati machines and recently confirmed a roster of rookie Fabio di Giannantonio and Moto2 champion 2020 Enea Bastianini, who is leaving Avintia Racing for 2022.
The available MotoGP spots in 2022 and who could fill them?
As things stand at the moment, only Yamaha and the new VR46 Racing Ducati team – which is taking over the entry from Avintia Racing – still have places in the MotoGP starting field in 2022.
With Morbidelli expected to replace the Aprilia-tied Vinales in the factory Yamaha setup and Rossi announcing his retirement, SRT Yamaha – which is losing support from Petronas for the next year – faces the task of filling both seats.
With Toprak Razgatlioglu, the first choice, rejecting an offer in favor of two more years in WorldSBK, Garrett Gerloff also staying in the series-based series and Raul Fernandez being taken over by KTM, SRT Yamaha has a dwindling list of candidates despite his victorious references.
With that in mind, Petronas SRT Moto2 leader Xavi Vierge is in an urgent promotion, while recent rumors suggest that his Moto3 racer Darryn Binder – brother of KTM rider Brad – could be up for a sensational double promotion in 2022.
Leading Moto2 racer Marco Bezzecchi was also mentioned, although he is expected to do one of the VR46 Racing Ducati rides alongside Luca Marini, which is all but confirmed to have a second season in the top division.
How the MotoGP starting field will develop in 2022
| MotoGP rider line-up 2022 | ||
| Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP | Joan Mir | Alex kidneys |
| Repsol Honda | Marc Marquez | Pol Espargaro |
| Ducati Lenovo team | Jack Miller | Pecco Bagnaia |
| Yamaha factory race | Fabio Quartararo | Franco Morbidelli |
| KTM factory race | Brad Binder | Miguel Oliveira |
| Aprilia races | Aleix Espargaro | Maverick Vinales |
| Petronas SRT Yamaha | Xavi virgin | Darryn Binder |
| LCR Honda | Alex Marquez | Takaaki Nakagami |
| Pramac Racing Ducati | Johann Zarco | Jorge Martin |
| Tech 3 KTM Racing | Remy gardener | Raul Fernandez |
| VR46 Racing Ducati | Luca Marini | Marco Bezzecchi |
| Gresini Racing Ducati | Enea Bastianini | Fabio Di Giannantonio |
* Italics stands for unconfirmed but expected or rumored
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