Pramac Racing appears to be in the early stages of pinpointing a successor for Jack Miller, but they find themselves in a competitive battle with Aprilia.
As the future looms beyond the 2026 MotoGP season, the fate of Australian rider Jack Miller remains uncertain. His contract with the factory Yamaha is set to conclude at the end of this year, leaving fans and analysts alike speculating about his next move.
Miller made his return to Pramac at the beginning of the 2025 season as the team embarked on a new journey—transitioning to become the sole satellite team for Yamaha after a long history of racing Ducati bikes spanning 21 years. Previously, Miller had two seasons with Pramac in 2019 and 2020 before switching to Ducati and later KTM.
Initially, Yamaha brought Miller on board with a one-year factory contract for the 2025 season following his exit from KTM. His strong performance on the YZR-M1 during his debut season eventually led Yamaha to extend his contract by another year in September, allowing him to continue racing with Pramac.
In an exciting twist for 2026, Miller will share the track with Toprak Razgatlioglu, who made headlines when Yamaha secured him with a two-year factory contract last June. Remarkably, Razgatlioglu stands out as the only Yamaha rider confirmed for the 2027 season, while both Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins are left in the uncertain waters of expiring contracts.
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Currently, Pramac and Yamaha are vying with Aprilia to sign Enea Bastianini, who rides for KTM Tech3. This interest comes as Yamaha keeps a close eye on the MotoGP rider landscape, assessing potential candidates should Quartararo decide to leave, or if Rins and Miller fail to secure new contracts.
According to reports from Motosprint, Yamaha's management is keen on exploring a deal with Bastianini, especially since his current contract with Tech3 is set to expire at the end of this year. Specifically, Pramac has intentions to include Bastianini in their lineup for 2027.
Interestingly, Bastianini himself is eager to pilot a Yamaha M1 right at the start of the new 850cc MotoGP regulations cycle in 2027. However, they are not the only ones with interest; Aprilia has rekindled its long-standing desire to acquire the talented 28-year-old, as they explore their options.
Aprilia had previously shown interest in signing Bastianini after he was released by Ducati in 2024, but ultimately opted to sign Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi instead. With both Martin and Bezzecchi also facing the end of their contracts in 2026, there’s speculation that Aprilia may make another push to secure Bastianini for the next season.
Should Bastianini join Pramac, he could very well fill the void left by Jack Miller.
As for Aprilia, they are expected to renew Bezzecchi’s contract soon, given that he emerged as a serious title contender throughout the 2025 season. He is widely seen as a formidable rival for Ducati's star Marc Marquez as the competition heats up for the 2026 championship under the existing 1,000cc regulations.
CEO Massimo Rivola has indicated that Aprilia is also considering a contract renewal for Martin, but it’s crucial for the 2024 champion to prove his worth after a challenging year plagued by injuries. In fact, Martin managed to compete in only seven of the eight Grands Prix during the 22-round season.
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If Aprilia successfully retains both Martin and Bezzecchi, it would certainly complicate Pramac and Yamaha's efforts to land Bastianini, potentially placing further strain on Miller’s position. Currently, Razgatlioglu cannot transition to Yamaha’s factory team due to his existing Red Bull sponsorship, which conflicts with the Monster energy backing of the Iwata-based team.
In the 2025 season, Miller distinguished himself as the second-best Yamaha rider, accumulating 79 points while Quartararo topped the chart with 201 points for the factory team. In comparison, Rins finished with 68 points, while Miguel Oliveira scored 43 points for Pramac before his contract was terminated by Yamaha.
Yamaha recognizes the advantages of retaining Miller for Pramac as they work on developing a V4 engine. However, they will be looking for improved results from him in 2026, especially considering that he only managed to finish within the top 10 once during the final ten races of the 2025 season.
