Gresini to split with Aprilia, become independent in 2022
Gresini Racing has announced it will return to being an independent MotoGP team from 2022 and will no longer be Aprilia's factory entrant.
Fausto Gresini's eponymous team has been present as a satellite outfit since 1997 in the premier class and has registered 14 wins and 41 podiums since then.
After splitting with Honda at the end of 2014, Gresini linked up with the returning Aprilia for 2015, with the Italian marque taking profit of the financial benefits afforded to independent teams under the current agreement with MotoGP which expires at the end of 2021.
Aprilia was set to become its own factory team come the end of the current independent teams' agreement, with Gresini announcing it has signed a new five-year deal to remain in the premier class from 2022 to 2026 on Monday.
"We're happy to announce this agreement with IRTA (International Race Teams Association), which will see us in MotoGP for five years starting from 2022," team boss Gresini said.
"We will not be representing Aprilia as a factory team anymore, so we will continue as an Independent Team, doing so with as much will and commitment.
"There's a lot of work to do and many things to define and communicate. Obviously, we're already working on this huge project, and we will reveal the details little by little."
Of the current grid, Gresini is the only independent team to have committed to MotoGP officially beyond 2022, while KTM is currently the only manufacturer to have signed a new agreement.
The 2020 season was a turbulent one for the Gresini Aprilia squad, with it forced to field a replacement for Andrea Iannone after the one-time MotoGP race winner was hit with an initial 18-month doping ban.
Aprilia drafted in test rider Bradley Smith, before replacing him with Lorenzo Savadori for the final three rounds.
Aleix Espargaro managed 17th in the standings and a best result of eighth at the Portuguese Grand Prix, while Aprilia was last in the constructors' table.
With Iannone now banned for four years after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal to increase his suspension last month, Aprilia will decide between Smith and Savadori to join Espargaro after winter testing.
Aprilia offered deals to several top Moto2 riders, including Valentino Rossi protégé Marco Bezzecchi and America's Joe Roberts.
However, VR46 didn't give Bezzecchi the green light to step up, while Roberts opted against the step to remain with 2020 Moto2 champions Italtrans Racing.
Previous article
Marquez released from hospital following third surgery
Next article
Suzuki was “very worried” following disastrous MotoGP return
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Teams | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini |
| Author | Lewis Duncan |
MotoGP 2021 kicks off in Qatar
Mandalika Circuit update
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Qatar Grand Prix
Top 10 most successful Repsol Honda Team riders
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?
Why Lorenzo needs to ditch social media and enjoy retirement
OPINION: Jorge Lorenzo's status as one of the greatest MotoGP riders of all time is hard to dispute. But his constant social media spats with fellow riders and insistence on listing his achievements to his detractors are running the risk of tarnishing a legacy he worked hard to create.
Can leaving a factory team end Rossi’s MotoGP win drought?
It is over three-and-a-half years since the Italian national anthem rang out to declare a Valentino Rossi victory in MotoGP. To some onlookers his move out of the factory Yamaha squad meant the 2017 Dutch TT could remain his final win, but after an encouraging transition at Petronas SRT hope is far from lost
What Marquez will we get on his much-needed MotoGP return?
As Marc Marquez’s comeback draws nearer, the six-time MotoGP world champion will have the eyes of the motorsport world on him to see if his incredible speed returns instantly. How Marquez deals with this could be key to both what he and the wider grid faces in 2021
