VR46 could still produce their best MotoGP season ever in 2025. They’ve previously finished higher than third in the championship.
But ahead of the calendar’s resumption at the Austrian Grand Prix, they sit 77 points behind Gresini. It’s not a small margin, but overhauling it will be their main target in the final 10 Grands Prix.
It’s partly a matter of prestige – VR46 are the second-in-command team in the Ducati stable, so it would be a minor embarrassment to finish below Gresini. Alex Marquez’s performances have supercharged Nadia Padovani’s squad so far.
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The team named after Valentino Rossi have scored four Grand Prix podiums up to this point, and two more in the Sprints. They haven’t won since the 2022 visit to the Red Bull Ring, but they clearly have an opportunity to end that drought before the chequered flag falls in Valencia.
VR46 and MotoGP satellite teams pursuing new economic ‘rights’
The International Road-Racing Teams Association will meet at the Austrian GP this weekend. It’s a particularly significant juncture after Liberty Media’s takeover was completed.
According to GPOne, there will be competing ‘economic interests’ at play. The satellite teams, including VR46, want to be ‘officialised’ and gain ‘equal rights’.
RANKTEAMSUPPLIERPTS1GresiniDucati3582VR46Ducati2813Tech3KTM1264TrackhouseAprilia1175LCRHonda1106PramacYamaha61How the satellite teams are faring in 2025
Liberty are expected to raise MotoGP’s revenue through new sponsorship deals, repeating their success in F1. The independents are eager to ensure at the outset that they receive a fair slice.
The manufacturers already receive money to supply bikes, but they’re seeking a percentage of TV and sponsorship earnings, aware of their importance to the sport. One can see how the two halves of the grid may come into conflict here, creating a challenge for new president Lucio Cecchinello.
Valentino Rossi and VR46 are against signing Ducati talent for next year
There’s talk that Ducati could distribute six factory bikes next year, equalising Gresini and VR46. Fermin Aldeguer is entitled to a full-spec motorcycle in the second year of his contract.
The Borgo Panigale outfit also want to reward Alex Marquez for his unforeseen leap forward. This arrangement would require an adjustment to their exclusive contract with VR46.
It would have been easier to maintain the current structure had Rossi’s squad agreed to sign Aldeguer. Franco Morbidelli’s deal is up at the end of the season.
But VR46 have no interest in Aldeguer, which shows they are able to assert their own authority. Now they want the series to establish a framework that allows them to challenge the factories long-term.