Andrew McLarneyMotoGP Reporter
Andrew McLarney is a MotoGP reporter for GPBlog. With four years experience as a professional writer across the sports and video game industries, his experience as a K1 Premier League competitor evolved into a fascination with all forms of combat sport and eventually motorsport — with MotoGP becoming his primary focus. On top of that he is also an avid follower of MXGP and AMA Supercross as well as F1 and GT racing.
Valentino Rossi's VR46 have supposedly made a decision regarding their rider line-up for 2027 as both Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio rumoured to be leaving at the end of the season. With Fermin Aldeguer already lined up to take one seat, that leaves another valuable spot on the MotoGP grid up for grabs.
So far in 2026, Di Giannantonio has been one of the stand-out riders on the grid, scoring consistent top-four finishes and winning heroically in Catalonia to give the VR46 team their first ever victory in MotoGP. Rossi described 'Diggia' as being 'like a dragon' during the race, and tried his best to convince the rider to stay at the team for next year.
However, it seems that Di Giannantonio is all-but confirmed to be leaving for a KTM factory ride alongside Alex Marquez. While nothing has been officially confirmed so far, Rossi's comments along with a smirk shared between Diggia and Alex during a press conference when the topic was mentioned both points towards the rumour being true.
It is also widely believed that VR46 will take Fermin Aldeguer from Gresini, and that Franco Morbidelli will also depart the team at the end of the season. This leaves VR46 with one free seat and plenty of options.
First and foremost among them is Valentino Rossi's own half-brother, Luca Marini, who currently rides for the HRC Honda factory team. While his performances have hardly set the world on fire, Marini's consistent, clean and reliable skillset will provide a great benchmark for any team, and as a former VR46 rider it seems like the most obvious option.
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Another choice is the young Moto2 talent Celestino Vietti, who has long been a part of the VR46 academy and is starting to show consistent results at the front-end of the field this year in Moto2.
However, the final option, and perhaps the most likely of all, is that Ducati's Nicolo Bulega will make the jump over from World SuperBikes. Bulega, who is currently setting records week after week in WSBK, previously competed as a wildcard for the Ducati factory team when Marc Marquez was injured at the end of 2025.
Ducati rider switch looks inevitable as MotoGP veteran spotted in WSBK paddock
This weekend, further fuel was poured onto the rumours when Morbidelli was spotted at the Ducati WSBK garage in Misano. It makes sense for VR46, a Ducati satellite team, that a swap deal would take place between the two riders.
While Morbidelli is older than Bulega and often recieves flak for his sometimes bizarre mistakes, he is an experienced and proven rider with numerous race wins and podiums to his name.
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Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 12.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 13.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 14.06.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 12.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 13.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 14.06.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
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