Andrea Locatelli stays with Yamaha after signing two-year deal

Andrea Locatelli will remain at the factory Yamaha team after agreeing a new two-year deal.

The Italian, who is currently third in the championship behind Alvaro Bautista and teammate Razgatlioglu - the only two riders that have won a race so far this season - is also the first rider to be confirmed beyond 2024.

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Bautista, Razgatlioglu, Jonathan Rea and Garrett Gerloff are the other riders already confirmed for next season, although all four are on contract that end after 2024.

For Locatelli, the two-year deal is not only a sign that Yamaha is happy with his performances, but it’s a move that signals intent to have Locatelli assume the team leader role from Razgatlioglu. 

"My objective was to continue with Yamaha, so I’m very happy to have signed for another two years," said Locatelli. "One of the best things about Yamaha is the people who believe in me, starting with Eric de Seynes, Paolo Pavesio and Andrea Dosoli, but also Riccardo Tisci and all the engineers and technicians who work so hard to give me the best bike possible. 

"The same is true of the team. Since I arrived in WorldSBK I have enjoyed incredible support from Paul Denning and Andrew Pitt, and everyone involved in the project.

"All together we have achieved some good results but, more importantly, we have walked side-by-side on a path that has allowed me to feel more and more confident.”

"We still have room for improvement in many areas, but I truly believe that with such a good relationship we will grow stronger together. 

"If consistency is key as they say, then I think that with this extension, we’ve laid the groundwork for a bright future."

The 2020 WorldSSP champion is still without a win during his short WorldSBK career, however, 2023 appears to be his best shot at changing that after a brilliant start to the campaign. 

Locatelli has, on occasion, matched Razgatlioglu for pace which is something that very rarely happened last season, while he’s also out-performed the likes of six-time world champion Jonathan Rea on multiple occasions.