With just a single seat now remaining after a flurry of contract renewals in the build-up to the Catalan GP, silly season is still dominating conversations – and rightly so. What has been one of the most unpredictable and unexpected games of musical chairs is finally taking shape. As the dust settles and the grid picture sharpens, what’s the latest? Let's take a look below.
Just one seat remains
There is now just one seat on the grid that hasn't been confirmed for 2026: Somkiat Chantra's at IDEMITSU Honda LCR. That's because we've had four rider announcements ahead of the Catalan GP: Johann Zarco will remain a HRC contracted rider at CASTROL Honda LCR in 2026 and 2027, Luca Marini stays with Honda HRC Castrol in 2026, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team confirmed Franco Morbidelli stays with the outfit for 2026. No surprises there. Then, on Thursday in Barcelona, Pramac Yamaha revealed that Jack Miller would remain with the team into the 2026 campaign.
As we've now entered September, expect a conclusion to silly season sooner rather than later.
THE JORGE MARTIN SITUATION: a headline act in 2025
One of the biggest stories of the season has been Jorge Martin’s statement, released at the end of May after the British GP. You can read the full statement here. However, during the Dutch GP weekend, more statements were made with Martin’s manager Albert Valera speaking on Saturday morning, followed by further words from Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola in a media scrum on Sunday morning, saying that he’s very much under contract for 2026 – read all about it here and likewise watch the full scrum. However, it was on the #1’s return that he himself declared that in the end, nothing changes: Martin will be with Aprilia in 2026. Any hope for other riders that a factory Aprilia is there for the taking has evaporated, ‘The Martinator’ stays put.
ZARCO, MARINI CONFIRMED: the latest on the Honda seat available
As we've mentioned, Marini and Zarco are staying exactly where they are. However, there could still be changes at LCR, with rumours suggesting the team is considering a change of direction on the other side of the garage. This would be amplified after Sky Sport Italia reported that Moto2 star Diogo Moreira has been linked with a three-year deal with HRC (as well as Yamaha) to replace Chantra, and it is now widely expected that this will be the case, especially after the Brazilian's Moto2 title rival, Manuel Gonzalez, was confirmed to be staying at LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP in 2026.
What now for Miguel Oliveira?
After a prolonged saga, we finally have clarity: Jack Miller has secured his seat with Prima Pramac Yamaha for next season, where he will line up alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu. That, however, leaves a major question mark hanging over one of the grid’s stalwarts. Miguel Oliveira, a five-time Grand Prix winner with seven seasons of premier-class experience, now faces an uncertain future. Early links point to a potential Test Rider role, but a rider of his calibre should attract no shortage of interest. This is one to watch closely.
WorldSBK ARRIVALS: Razgatlioglu moves across, Bulega lands Ducati testing gig
Earlier in the season, one of motorcycle racing fans’ biggest dreams has been to see what WorldSBK sensation Toprak Razgatlioglu can do on MotoGP™ machinery; wait no longer, he’s coming in 2026. The double WorldSBK Champion finally joins the MotoGP paddock with Prima Pramac Yamaha for next season, something that has sent both paddocks into overdrive with how the rest of the seats shake out.
Along with that, current WorldSBK Championship leader Nicolo Bulega remains in WorldSBK for 2026 with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team but will be an official Ducati test rider in MotoGP™, with work looking towards 2027’s rule change. Davide Tardozzi, Ducati Lenovo team manager, recently stated that Nicolo is “someone we’re looking at for the future. We trust him and maybe we’ll have some more collaboration in the future.” Ducati took on exciting rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and that’s going well…
SILLY SEASON FOR A REASON: announcements and confirmations await
So, what do you think? Until we have an announcement in our hands from the respective team, factory or rider, there’s no way of knowing what’s 0% true, what’s 90% true or what is even talk put out there to improve someone’s negotiating position. The biggest shock rider move of the last few years – Marc Marquez to Gresini – wasn’t even announced until we arrived in Indonesia. Watch this space and let’s see what announcements we get in the coming days and weeks.