On Wednesday morning forward of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Yamaha introduced it might be parting methods with Morbidelli on the finish of the 2023 season.
Morbidelli has been a Yamaha-backed rider since 2019 and was runner-up within the championship the next yr, however has struggled for type since stepping as much as the manufacturing facility squad halfway via 2021.
It has been rumoured for a while that Rins, presently contracted to Honda at LCR, might take Morbidelli’s Yamaha seat subsequent season.
Wednesday’s announcement has paved the best way for this, with Rins expressing at numerous factors this yr his frustrations at a scarcity of help from Honda upon his swap from Suzuki on the finish of 2022.
This has come regardless of Rins being Honda’s solely race winner in a depressing 2023 season for the Japanese marque, with the Spaniard taking victory on the Americas GP.
However since that time, Rins hasn’t obtained any added backing from Honda, which incorporates by no means testing the Kalex chassis the manufacturing facility squad first raced on the French GP.
Alex Rins, Crew LCR Honda
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Rins had supposed to stay with Honda and even sought to doubtlessly step as much as the manufacturing facility squad over the approaching years.
Although contracted to Honda for 2 years, Rins’ deal is assumed to have a clause in it which acknowledged he might sever ties if a manufacturing facility staff gave him a suggestion.
Autosport understands that Rins was provided a one-year Yamaha deal previous to the five-week summer season break and inked it then, however the Japanese marque requested for him to maintain it beneath wraps whereas it knowledgeable Morbidelli its intentions.
Rins has been sidelined with a damaged leg for the reason that Italian GP at Mugello and can proceed to be absent from this weekend’s Silverstone spherical, with Iker Lecuona changing him at LCR.
Lecuona, HRC’s World Superbike rider, is considered beneath analysis from Honda a couple of potential return to MotoGP, the place he competed in 2020 and 2021 with Tech3 KTM – attaining a greatest results of sixth.