With rider negotiations fully underway for 2023, several riders could be looking at a move away from MotoGP after failing to conv൩ince through the opening six rounds. 

Before commencing this list, it’s important to note that all current rookies are not being included. 

• Joan Mir was ready to sign at Suzuki - Hon𝔉da, Yamaha rumours ‘false’ 
• Binder: 'I didn’t doꦑ anything too crazy, super disappointed' with Jerez crash 
• MotoGP Jerez: Do✃vizဣioso 'I didn’t expect a good race', situation 'pretty bad'

So who⛎ are the four riders we b𓆉elieve to be most at risk of losing their MotoGP seat? 

4 - Maverick Vinales  

The first rider is Vinales as the𒁃 Aprilia rider by no means has a secured future in the premier class. 

Vinales, who has shown glimpses with the 20🍰22 RS-GP (most notably at COTA) remains a long way away from team-mate and championship contender Aleix Espargaro. 

Yes, Espargaro has a lot more experience with Aprilia, but Vinales hasn’t just had this season tജo familiarise himself with the bike, instead he completed five out of the last six rounds of 2021 and all of pre-season testing wit♓h the Noale-based manufacturer. 

Should Vinales be repla🐎ced at Aprilia - no reason to suggest the team won’t be looking at both Moto2 and current MotoGP riders - then someone of his calibre would surely command interest from other teams right? 

Well perhaps not, as Vinales would clearly be limited for options. His best bet would have been a return to Suzuki should Joan Mir or Alex Rins leave on their own terms, but with Suzuki set to quit MotoGP at the en🌞d of this year, that’s not an realistic option. 

Returni🐓ng to Yamaha is also a no-go, as is joining KTM who seem settled with their current structure. That leaves Honda who could show interest, however, someone like Mir is likely to be of greater appeal to the factory team. 

Then we have Ducati who have expressed interest in Vinales before, however, the factory team is in a much🐻 different situation to a few years ago.&nbsꦏp;

The Italian manufacturer has Jack Mill🔯er, Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini all fighting for a ride alongside Francesco Bagnaia in 2023, while those who don’t get that sea♔t would likely make up the line-up at Pramac, not to mention Johann Zarco is still there. 

3 - Andrea Dovizioso

It goes without saying that Dovizioso’s sabbatical yearꦏ in 2021, plus decision to return to MotoGP with Yamaha has failed to match expectations. 

Whether i✃t be the 2019 bike he rode last year or this season’s 2022 machine, Dovizioso has been well off the pace, both in regards to scoring points with any consistency or matching world champion Fabio Quartararo. 

There’s strong talk that Dovizioso could retire at the end of this season, which forms just one of the reasons weཧ believe Yamaha will replace him. 

The other is his results. 

Despit♍e a disappointing start to his MotoGP career with KTM, Raul Fernandez remains a big prospect and one that Yamaha tried very hard to snatch away from the Austrian manufacturer last season.&nbℱsp;

And with Fernandez seemingly keen to move away from⛦ Tech 3, signing the Spaniard to RNF in place of Dovizioso is very possible, especially since Fernandez is on a one-year deal tꦺhat ends after this season. 

The other name that could spell trouble for Dovizioso shou💧ld he even want to continue is WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, who will have a test aboard an M1 later this year. 

2 - Takaaki Nakagami

Second on this list is LCR Honda rider Nakagami. The Japanese rider remains without a podium in the premier class (is in his fifth seasoဣn) despite showing so much potential, particularly in 2020. 

But after failing to deliver in recent races, Nakagami is beginning to look like a rider underꦗ pressure. A fourth at Jerez last season was backed up by fifth at the Styrian Grand Prix, however, these are his only top five finishes over the season and a half.  

Consistency has been a big issue for the 30 year-old, as has been his ea✃rly race pace. In fact, Nakagami somewhat resembles Vinales in race conditions as he so often has pace come the final few laps, albeit it’s too late to make a charge up the order.&🦩nbsp;

Nakagami’ strong backing from Japan is a reason why retaining h🌊im has and could be of interest to Honda, but with Ai Ogura looking like a star of thꦰe future in Moto2, would Honda want to keep Nakagami instead of a much younger Ogura, many think not. 

If Nakagami is let go by Honda, then available options are ෴going to ♒look very dire, which is why a switch across to WorldSBK or a return to Moto2 looks more likely. 

1 - Alex Marquez 

Finally we have Alex Marquez, younger brother to eight-time world champion M💜arc. 

Like Nakagam💎i, Marquez looked very strong in 2020 w👍hich was all the more impressive given he was a rookie. 

H♋owever, 2021 and the beginning of 2022 have been a disaster for the former Moto2 champion. 

Marquez has just one top five finish♐ si🌌nce Aragon in 2020 (Algarve Grand Prix last season), while crashes continue to plague his MotoGP career. 

Whether it’s been testing or race weekends, Marquez h𓂃as made mistake after mistake - would b𝓀e acceptable if he was running at the front, but he’s not, instead far from it. 

Marquez seemed to make a bre🦩akthrough at round five in Portimao, however, the Spaniard was once again the fourth best Honda in Jerez as he 🎃finished 13th. 

Like Nakagami, other manufacturers are unlikely to have significant i𝄹nterest in Marquez, especially from a results point of view, which is why a return to Moto2 would likely be his best option should Honda opt not to re-sign him.