Who could replace Marc Marquez at Gresini?

Marc Marquez’s promotion to the factory Ducati team in 2025 means Gresini require a new rider.

His brother, Alex Marquez, is also out of contract this year but there is little suggestion he will also exit the team.

And with access to a year-old Desmosedici, there will be several riders eager to inherit the bike after Marc Marquez departs…

Joan Mir

Marquez’s final teammate at Repsol Honda, before he quit last year to move to Gresini, has been looking longingly at the exit door.

Mir has endured a miserable time since being forced to look for pastures new upon Suzuki’s exit from MotoGP, and arriving at Honda.

The 2020 MotoGP champion has not been able to show even a glimpse of his best-ever form in the past two seasons.

Mir’s first year at Honda was blighted by crashes and caused him to discuss possible retirement at the halfway stage.

This year he has been restricted to the back of the grid but knows his contract is coming to an end.

Mir has admitted that he no longer has the reputation to push himself to the front of the rider market.

But with multiple key pieces - Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales, Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin - already confirmed, his time might come soon to make a decision.

Gresini, without access to the factory-spec Ducati, are still an attractive proprosition.

Proof of how they can rehabilitate a rider’s career comes not only in the form of Marc Marquez, but also Alex. Alex became rejuvenated last year, his first wearing the blue of Gresini.

Mir could replicate the moves of both Marquez brothers by swapping a horrible Honda experience and hoping to rediscover his love of racing with the family-run team in possession of a highly-competitive bike.

Franco Morbidelli

The future of Pramac is still up in the air.

They are not definitely staying with Ducati, where they benefit from a factory-spec machine. A lucrative offer to join Yamaha is lurking.

Pramac know that Jorge Martin will exit for Aprilia, but Franco Morbidelli’s 2025 is also unclear. His contract is expiring this year.

Morbidelli has only recently got up to pace on his GP24 this year, after his preseason was ruined by an injury.

It was a terrible start which cost Morbidelli ground, especially after leaving Yamaha last season under a cloud of constant speculation about being axed.

If Pramac opt for a brand-new rider duo or a brand-new start at Yamaha, then Morbidelli might require a brand-new start himself.

At his best he surely remains competitive enough for the front of MotoGP, but he hasn’t shown it often enough recently.

The less pressurised surroundings of the Gresini box, without the spotlight of Marquez or the demands of the factory-spec Ducati, could be the ideal environment for Morbidelli to prove what he’s got left in the tank.

Alex Rins

Alex Rins has spent his MotoGP career on Japanese-manufactured bikes but he might fancy scrapping with more competitive machinery.

Rins’ Yamaha contract is expiring this season and he hasn’t yet committed his 2025 future.

The best example of Rins’ talents came a year ago in Texas, when he became the first Honda rider, aside from Marc Marquez, to win a grand prix since 2018.

Considering where the Hondas are now finishing, that result feels even better in hindsight.

Gresini have won grands prix through Enea Bastianini and Fabio di Giannantonio in recent seasons so will want to maintain the potential to keep fighting in the podium positions, and Rins is an option who has done this before.

A five-time MotoGP grand prix winner, Rins has endured two largely difficult seasons at Honda and Yamaha (plus a badly broken leg last year) but his CV stands up to scrutiny.

Augusto Fernandez

The stunning Tech3 KTM confirmation that their 2025 rider line-up will consist of Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales has closed the door on Fernandez.

KTM’s factory team is also confirmed so Fernandez (and Jack Miller) are on the lookout for a new MotoGP option.

Although Fernandez has become the forgotten man in KTM’s evolution - particularly thanks to the form of his sensational teammate Pedro Acosta - it was not long ago that he was very highly-rated.

A year ago, KTM opted to renew Fernandez’s contract and get rid of Pol Espargaro to make room for Acosta, when it might have been easier to dispose of Fernandez.

The 2022 Moto2 champion, Fernandez entered the premier class with some expectation.

The goalposts of expectation have been shifted by what Acosta has accomplished, but Fernandez still represents a viable option for teams in need of a talented rider.

Gresini could do worse than handing a reprieve to a rider in desperate need of someone who believes in him.

Fermin Aldeguer

The young talent from Moto2 has no confirmed home next season.

Ducati have signed him to a MotoGP contract but have not allocated him to a specific team yet.

Aldeguer believes he will be riding factory-spec machinery, which points at Pramac.

But the doubt over Pramac's own future within Ducati means Aldeguer could find himself elsewhere.

Putting him in the Gresini box could be the ideal first step into the premier class.

Learning from a more experienced rider and a fellow Spaniard, Alex Marquez, might prove to be the perfect environment for his first laps.

And, if the word in the paddock about Aldeguer's ability is true, a year at Gresini could position him nicely for a major next step within the Ducati clan.