Rinaldi: “The news will be after Most, I cannot say anything but we are talking”

Rinaldi has been under pressure for much of the season as Nicolo Buelga and Axel Bassani have been rumoured as potential replacements.

Despite impressive speed at times, Rinaldi has lacked consistency which is why the Aruba.it Ducati team appears to be leaning towards Bulega for the 2024 campaign. 

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The Italian has himself been linked with a switch to Honda and a return to GoEleven Ducati, however, the second of those two options could close if the team signs Andrea Iannone.

Rinaldi is a proven race winner in WorldSBK and would be a good addition to any manufacturer, which would also make it understandable that Ducati would not want to lose him.

Prior to the Czech round at Most, which began this morning as Scott Redding topped FP1, Rinaldi shared the latest on his future.

"After Imola, my focus was to get in the best shape again and that’s what I did," the 27-year-old told WorldSBK.com. "I trained in the proper way, did a lot of physio, and on Monday I went to train with a Panigale V4 R at Mugello to understand how I was on the bike. 

"Physically, I’m better than Imola. The news will be after Most. At the moment, I cannot say anything because we are still talking. 

"Before the next round in September, I will have an update. We are talking. Our goal is to keep racing with a good package, and we will see what’s going on. 

"For now, I’m focused on this weekend, and, after that, we will focus on next year."

If Rinaldi did join the factory Honda team it would mean either Iker Lecuona or Xavi Vierge departs, with the former thought to be keen on a return to MotoGP.