Five riders that could replace Marco Bezzechi at VR46 Ducati

Marco Bezzecchi has officially joined Aprilia for the 2025 MotoGP season, where he will line-up alongside Jorge Martin.

Bezzecchi’s move away from the Pertamine Enduro VR46 team means the Noale-based manufacturer has weakened Ducati by signing two of the best talents on the grid to replace Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales.

But while Bezzecchi has achieved his goal of becoming a factory rider, it’s opened the door for someone else to jump on a GP24 machine next season.

So who could replace Bezzecchi?

Franco Morbidelli

With Pramac’s future yet to be decided, Morbidelli is the obvious choice to move across as VR46 would be without an academy rider if they don’t secure the Italian.

If Pramac do stay with Ducati, moving to VR46 would be a demotion of sorts as Morbidelli would be riding a year-old bike.

However, rejecting Valentino Rossi’s team is something many riders would struggle to do, especially if they are part of the VR46 academy.

Celestino Vietti

Unlikely due to his form not being good enough for a MotoGP promotion, Vietti still remains an intriguing option.

The Italian has consistently shown that he can win in Moto2 and has the talent to be competitive in MotoGP.

Vietti is still only 22 years of age, which means a future in MotoGP is still possible despite not being a title contender in Moto2 this season.

Like Morbidelli, Vietti is part of the VR46 academy, therefore having at least one of their seats filled by a VR46 rider would be the ideal outcome.

Fermin Aldeguer

Like Morbidelli, where Aldeguer lines up will be impacted by what happens with Pramac.

The young Spaniard has a Ducati contract until the end of 2026, with a further two year option tied on top of that.

That means Ducati can place Aldeguer wherever it likes, however, Pramac would be the most sensible option.

But if Yamaha’s attempts at joining forces with Pramac are successful, that could open the door for Rossi’s team to explore adding Aldeguer.

Jack Miller

Jack Miller will be leaving KTM at the end of this season after he and Augusto Fernandez lost their seats to Vinales and Enea Bastianini

A return to Honda looks unlikely, which means Ducati have jumped ahead as the favourites to sign the Australian.

Reports in Italy are suggesting Gresini will win the race to sign Miller, but with Bezzecchi officially moving on to Aprilia, VR46 could attempt a late swoop.

Miller has had plenty of success aboard Ducati machinery, and although Rossi’s team traditionally prefers to sign young talent, having someone of Miller’s experience would not be a bad move.

Raul Fernandez

A rider who fits the bill of being young and is finally starting to show form in MotoGP is Raul Fernandez.

If Fernandez loses his seat at Trackhouse Racing there will be very limited options available to him.

One of those could be the VR46 team, who have shown with Fabio Di Giannantonio that signing someone outside of the VR46 academy is something they will do if talent and results match their aspirations.