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.

Marquez released from hospital following third surgery
Suzuki was “very worried” following disastrous MotoGP return

Latest news
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.