RNF Racing has announced that Andrea Dovizioso will not see out the rest of the 2022 MotoGP season after the San Marino GP, and will be replaced by Cal Crutchlow.

The 15-time MotoGP race winner returned to MotoGP full-time from last year’s San Marino GP as replacement for Franco Morbidelli at Petronas SRT – which became RNF Racing for 2022.

Dovizioso had been serving a sabbatical following his ousting from Ducati at the end of the 2020 season, taking up a brief role as an Aprilia test rider before signing directly with Yamaha to join RNF.

But Dovizioso’s Yamaha return has been underwhelming, the three-time championship runner-up so far only scoring 10 points in a 2022 season in which his best finish is an 11th in Portugal.

Dovizioso has hinted for some time now that his future beyond 2022 does not include a race ride on the grid, as RNF gets set to switch to Aprilia machinery.

Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Yamaha has announced that Dovizioso will quit MotoGP following his home round at Misano.

He will be replaced by three-time MotoGP race winner and current Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow.

Crutchlow deputised for the injured Morbidelli at Petronas SRT last year at the Styrian and Austrian GPs, before briefly replacing ousted Maverick Vinales at the British and Aragon GPs.

The Briton took a best finish of 16th in his brief appearance last year.

Yamaha's press release confirms the split was made during the summer break by mutual consent, with Dovizioso noting "profound changes" as part of the reason for his struggles on the bike.

"In 2012, the experience with the Iwata manufacturer in MotoGP had been very positive for me and since then I have always thought that, sooner or later, I would have liked to have an official contract with Yamaha," said Dovizioso, who rode a Tech 3 Yamaha in 2012 and scored six podiums.

"This possibility presented itself, actually in a somewhat daring way, during 2021. I decided to give it a try because I strongly believed in this project and in the possibility of doing well.

"Unfortunately, in recent years MotoGP has changed profoundly. The situation is very different since then: I have never felt comfortable with the bike, and I have not been able to make the most of its potential despite the precious and continuous help from the team and the whole of Yamaha.

"The results were negative, but beyond that, I still consider it a very important life experience. When there are so many difficulties, you need to have the ability to manage the situation and your emotions well.

"We did not reach the desired objectives, but the consultations with the Yamaha technicians and with those of my team have always been positive and constructive, both for them and for me.

"The relationship remained loyal and professionally interesting even in the most critical moments: it was not so obvious that that would happen.

The Italian manufacturer has been MotoGP’s leading technical innovators for a number of years now, as it was the first to really develop aerodynamic wings on its bikes, as well as the ride height devices that have been at the centre of much debate over the past year.

And on Friday at Silverstone in the latter stages of FP2, Ducati sent Gresini’s Enea Bastianini and Pramac’s Jorge Martin out on track with a set of four winglets – two on either side – fitted to the tail unit of both riders’ bikes.

The configuration on both bikes was slightly different, and it is not yet clear exactly what Ducati’s intentions are with this latest development.

First impressions suggested Ducati is looking for more rear load to perhaps help in the corners.

Martin, who was 13th at the end of practice, says he gained on top speed on the new aero but found he lost agility.

“Well, they are not only wings, it is also the front fairing,” Martin said when asked by Motorsport about the latest Ducati aero upgrade.

“But the big thing you saw was the rear. I can’t tell you a lot, I tried in the afternoon and I wasn’t so fast in the afternoon when I tried the fairing.

“So, in general I don’t know. We need to analyse and understand if we should keep them or take them out.

“I felt it was a bit more difficult on the change of direction, but on the straight it was better.

“At the end of the day, it’s a balance and we need to understand which side to go.”

Bastianini’s assessment offered more clues as to what Ducati may be looking for with the new wings, as the Gresini rider noted he gained better stability under braking.

“The feeling is good for the moment,” Bastianini, who was eighth overall on Friday, said of the wings.

“Tomorrow, we have to try to know if it’s better or not, because I had to come back to the normal one and after we try it again because it’s important to understand if it’s better or not.

“But my first impression is that it’s better under braking, it’s more stable, and also for the speed it’s not bad. I think for tomorrow it’s good for the qualifying.

“[Ducati said] in this part [it would help me]. I think the braking is the strongest point of these wings.”

It wasn’t just Ducati who courted interest in its motorcycles on Friday at Silverstone, as KTM introduced a new exhaust design on a race weekend for the first time.

The exhaust, which stretches along the side of the bike and up to the tail unit, was first trialled at the post-race Jerez test.

The new pipe, according to Miguel Oliveira, is more about offering comfort rather than all out performance as it reduces vibration.

“We tried to gain a little bit more performance from the exhaust and try to get a better connection just by having not so much vibration and this is basically what we felt,” the Portuguese rider said.

“The exhaust is really not giving a lot on back-to-back comparisons [with the old one] on speed, on power. But it gives a good feeling. Yeah, it looks like [it’s more about comfort].

“I prefer the new one because it looks smooth, and also the sound is different because it gives a bit more comfort in that way.”

The louder volume delivered by the exhaust was a request made by the riders following the Jerez test as the previous version proved to be too quiet, which made it difficult for them to understand hear exactly what their bike was doing when riding in packs.

“It’s a bit weird because it’s not that loud, It was a lot more quiet and sometimes you’re not quite sure if you’re in the right gear or something because the tone was so low you feel like you’ve done something wrong,” Brad Binder noted.

On Friday at their home Grand Prix in Austria, it has been announced that GASGAS and Tech3 will team up to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team in MotoGP™ in 2023, with former Tech3 and KTM rider Pol Espargaro confirmed as one of the stars in the line-up. The second rider alongside the Spaniard is yet to be confirmedGASGAS have always been keen to get on the gas for fun but now the throttle grip feels different, the pace faster and the stakes higher. From 2023 Spain’s iconic motorcycle brand will join the rush of MotoGP for the first time in deal that sees the Tech3 Factory Team turn a full crimson red. The renowned race-winning crew will be equipped with GASGAS MotoGP technology and will place the machinery into the hands of Pol Espargaro for the globe-trotting Grand Prix series with a second rider to be confirmed soon.

Competition - and all the thrill and excitement that comes from racing - is part of GASGAS’ soul. The company, formed in the 1980s, celebrated the joy and buzz that motorcycling brings: everything that is daring, capable, vibrant, inviting. Fame in Trials and Enduro quickly transformed into motocross, supercross and rally success in recent years with a comprehensive foundation of offroad production bikes and now - after tasting spoils in both Moto3™ and Moto2™ classes - the brand is ready for the next frontier; the pinnacle of road racing.

GASGAS want to bring their young, fresh and passionate vibe to the highest stage and that meant transforming the objectives of the Tech3 Factory Racing team for 2023. The decorated outfit and Pol Espargaro will become a new and welcome member of the GASGAS family. The popular 31-year-old will also tie-in some of GASGAS’ Iberian heritage for their maiden MotoGP tilt.

The distinctive red and white livery will go faster than it ever has been thanks to the new GASGAS MotoGP trailblazer. The marque will be the sixth brand in MotoGP for 2023 but has already boosted its presence with Grand Prix victories and podium appearances in Moto3 and Moto2 in the last two seasons thanks to the excellence of the GASGAS Aspar team.

Pit Beirer, GASGAS Motorsports Director: “GASGAS is a winning brand. It has reached an incredible level of performance immediately in disciplines like MXGP, Supercross, Enduro and Rally where we have taken Grands Prix, Main Events, world titles and overall winners’ trophies. It’s a relatively new brand for us and we have new goals. We hope the fans that follow ‘the red’ will enjoy the story. Thanks to our strong partner, the ASPAR team, in Moto3 and Moto2 we have been able to see the GASGAS bikes right at the front of those categories. It would be great to see the same thing eventually in the hardest class of them all. I want to thank Hervé and the Tech3 factory racing team for keeping an open mind and really supporting this change to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team. We think it’s exciting and different.”

Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Board, CMO: “Taking the GASGAS name bigger and wider than its roots in Trial has been really successful in a number of ways. After seeing what we could achieve in Moto3 and Moto2 the next question was whether we could take GASGAS to MotoGP and we’re thrilled that we can make this step. It’s a new journey and I know the brand will stand out right away. Importantly, the team, the riders, the management will help GASGAS make a splash in the premier class. That’s what we’re hoping for!”

Herve Poncharal, GASGAS Team Manager: “Let me make a few confidences to you. Since we joined the Pierer Mobility Group, I can tell you that it has been my happiest professional years in my life. Because, when you work with Stefan, when you work with Hubert, and when you work with Pit, of course, the target and the main thing is competition, but I also love to spend evenings with these gentlemen to talk about business, to talk about strategy, to see how our motorcycle industry is evolving. I’m really, really happy to be part of a European manufacturer and the European manufacturers all together are moving on; we can see every single Sunday in the MotoGP™ podium that they are more and more.

“To be a full factory GASGAS team is a big source of pride. There is a lot I touch in the GASGASname, we know where they came from, I’m from the south or Europe, and I feel very honoured, very proud, and I feel there will be more emulation inside the Pierer Mobility Group in the MotoGP class, in between the orange and the red brand. For sure, as Hubert and Pit said, I would like to thank the Jorge Martin Aspar Team and his riders. First, to be here, they’ve been opening the road, they did a great job, they are still doing a great job, and we owe them a lot. We are together and I’m happy to be even closer to them because they deserve full respect. I just feel happy, I just love challenges – this is why I’m here – and racing is about challenges – industry, business challenges – and I’m very happy to be part of this new challenge.

“If you remember well, a few years ago, there was a young man, a Moto2™ World Champion, that joined the MotoGP™ class with Tech3. His name is Pol Espargaro. We had a great few years together when we started, we discovered the MotoGP™ class together, and I have always said that Pol is a real fighter, Pol was a key player in the Pierer Mobility KTM MotoGP™ programme, and I’m delighted to announce he is back in the family. We can’t wait to start working with him, and I think he will be a perfect ambassador for the GASGAS brand. So, this is like a fairytale; welcome back, Pol. This is also to Stefan, Hubert, and Pit to say more than me, but anyway, I’m over the moon and I think this GASGAS MotoGP™ project couldn’t start better than with Pol. So, this is fantastic news and I just can’t wait to be in November.”
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As part of a revamp in race weekends, F1 trialled sprint races at three events – Silverstone, Monza and Brazil – on Saturdays which determined the starting grid for the main grand prix on Sunday.

The trial proved successful among fans and teams alike, and so F1 pencilled in three further sprint weekends for 2022 at Imola, Red Bull Ring and Brazil.

As part of the Global Fan Survey run by Dorna Sports in conjunction with the Motorsport Network, the idea of sprint races was floated.

Now MotoGP plans to push ahead with this idea for 2023 and will discuss this in Friday’s Grand Prix Commission meeting at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Unlike in F1, the idea is to have a sprint race at every single MotoGP event next year and keep it a separate entity to the main grand prix.

The MotoGP sprint race would run to around half distance of the main grand prix and half-points will be awarded.

It is likely the starting grid for the grand prix will continue to be decided by a qualifying session and will not be dictated by the result of the sprint race.

To accommodate this, one free practice session and the warm-up on Sunday would be cut from the schedule.

At present, this idea is only for the MotoGP class, with Moto2 and Moto3 weekend formats likely to remain unchanged for now.

While details are yet to be finalised, most of the constructors’ currently competing in MotoGP are in favour of the format change.

Should this go ahead, it will be the first major change to a MotoGP weekend format since the split qualifying sessions was introduced in 2013.

Since then, there has only been minor changes made to the weekend format for the Moto2 and Moto3 class, when split qualifying was introduced in 2019 for them.

Currently, there are three 45-minute practice sessions each weekend for the MotoGP class – the combined order of which decides who goes straight into Q2 in qualifying and who must go through Q1.

A 30-minute FP4 sessions precedes qualifying, with both Q1 and Q2 running to 15 minutes each.

A 20-minute warm-up takes place on Sunday before the grand prix later that afternoon.

Raul Fernandez is close to finalising a move to the RNF Aprilia MotoGP squad in 2023 after an agreement was reached with KTM to release him from his current contract.

The 2021 Moto2 championship runner-up stepped up to MotoGP in 2022 with Tech 3 and KTM in a move he didn’t want to make in the first place.

Fernandez had been keen to join Yamaha’s satellite squad RNF – formally Petronas SRT – but was unable to when KTM held him to a contract despite there being a half-a-million-euro buyout clause.

In a difficult debut season on the RC16, Fernandez has scored just five points with a best finish of 12th at the German Grand Prix.

Motorsport.com understands Fernandez met on Sunday morning at the Austrian GP with KTM CEO Stefan Pierer to discuss his current contract.

Several months ago Pierer extended Fernandez’s contract for another year through to the end of 2023, with KTM demanding more than a million euros for the Spaniard to extricate himself from that deal as he so desired.

This looked almost impossible to get around, but both parties have now come to a more amicable agreement that will ensure Fernandez’s exit from KTM at the end of 2022.

This will allow Fernandez to fully pursue a move to RNF Aprilia for 2023, with a deal likely to extend to the end of 2024.

Fernandez did have serious offers to return to Moto2 from Marc VDS and Pons Racing for next year, as well as considerations in the World Superbike Championship.

At present, it is unclear who will partner Fernandez at RNF, with the previous favourite option in Miguel Oliveira now looking uncertain.

Oliveira will lose his place at the factory KTM squad at the end of the year and will be replaced by Jack Miller.

The Portuguese rider has been offered a move to Tech 3, but initially did not want to return to the squad with whom he won two grand prix in 2020.

However, the Tech 3 project has been refreshed for 2023 as a sister KTM brand in GasGas will in effect become a new manufacturer – albeit only by name, as Tech 3 will run factory-spec KTMs.

With this taking place, KTM has not ruled out Oliveira remaining within its stable at Tech 3 alongside Pol Espargaro – whose appointment was announced on Friday at the Red Bull Ring.

What is certain is that reigning Moto2 world champion Remy Gardner will not be a part of KTM's set-up in 2023.

The Australian has endured a similarly difficult campaign to Fernandez and admitted on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring that it’s unlikely he will be on the 2023 grid at all – taking a dig at his current paymasters in the process.

“No, it’s not,” he said when told his future was not looking good. “In MotoGP, doesn’t look like there’s anything. KTM’s done it again. That’s all I can say.”

Marc Marquez has completed another successful medical check at the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid. His trusted medical team, consisting of Dr Joaquin Sanchez Sotelo, Dr Samuel Antuña and Dr Angel Cotorro were all pleased with the healing and recovery of the right humerus.

The medical team have given Marquez approval to intensify his training, adding more weight and introducing more varied exercises into his routine. Alongside this, it has also been agreed for the eight-time World Champion to start training on motorcycles to understand the condition of his right arm with further context.

From the findings of this outing, Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team will assess the following steps needed.

Dr Joaquin Sanchez Sotelo: "Today, I had the opportunity to evaluate Marc Marquez in regard to his surgical procedure recently performed at Mayo Clinic. Fortunately, Marc Marquez has regained a great arc of motion and has recovered well from a muscular perspective as well. Today, he underwent radiographs and a CT scan that show complete bone union."

Ducati Lenovo Team have confirmed that it will be Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) lining up alongside Francesco Bagnaia in the factory team next season, meaning Jorge Martin will stay in the Prima Pramac Racing ranks in 2023.

Ducati’s decision has been a huge talking point in the paddock ever since Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was confirmed to be moving to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for 2023, and the Bologna factory have spent the last few races thinking about whether it will be Bastianini or Martin wearing red next season.

However, a few days on from the Austrian GP and ahead of the San Marino GP, Ducati have announced it will be three-time 2022 race winner Bastianini who gets the seat alongside title-chasing Bagnaia for next season in an all-Italian line-up, not 2021 Rookie of the Year Martin.

Enea Bastianini: “I am thrilled to be able to wear the colours of the official Ducati team starting next year. It was my dream, and now it has come true. In these two years in MotoGP, I have learned and grown a lot, and I believe that I can only improve with the engineers and men of the Ducati Lenovo Team! I want to thank Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide for trusting me and giving me this incredible opportunity. Still, I also want to thank Nadia and the whole Gresini team for the great support I have received from them during this wonderful season together. I will try to close out this 2022 in the best possible way before tackling my new adventure as a factory Ducati rider with total commitment and the right team spirit.”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Director General de Ducati Corse): “We are really happy to have Bastianini in the factory team in 2023. Enea is a very talented rider and he has matured a lot in these two years with Ducati. He has been able to grow quickly, taking two podiums in his debut year in MotoGP and then three beautiful victories this year with the Gresini team in Qatar, the United States and France. We are convinced that next year, as a factory rider for the Ducati Lenovo Team, he will be able to make another step forward and be among the protagonists in every race. It was not an easy decision because both Enea and Jorge Martin are two very fast young riders and that's why we have ensured both of them the same material and the same technical support. We are sure that both of them will be able to show their great talent on track.”

The 2020 MotoGP world champion Mir fracture his right foot in a nasty highside crash on the opening lap of last week’s Austrian GP.

The Suzuki rider was ordered to take 15 days of rest by doctors following a check-up on the Monday after the Red Bull Ring race, and has thus been forced out of the Misano round next week.

Suzuki’s options to replace Mir were limited, with usual stand-in and official test rider Sylvain Guintoli currently out of action after injuring his wrist prior to the Suzuka 8 Hours.

Reports in Italian media claimed double MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci was offered the ride, but turned it down to focus on his MotoAmerica championship bid with Ducati.

Suzuki has therefore been forced to give one-time 250cc points finisher Watanbe an outing at Misano.

Watanabe, who partners Guintoli at the Yoshimura SERT Suzuki endurance team, has never ridden MotoGP machinery and only started five grands prix in the 250cc/Moto2 class in 2009 and 2010 – scoring a best finish of 14th at the 2009 Japanese GP.

“First thing’s first, I would like to wish Joan a speedy recovery from the injury he suffered, he’s a great rider to watch and I hope he’ll be back on track soon,” Watanabe said.

“I was really pleased to receive the call about substituting in Misano, it will be amazing to try the MotoGP bike around that track.

“I will do my best to perform well and give something back to the team who have given me this chance.”

Suzuki team boss Livio Suppo added: “We are very sorry that Joan won't be able to race in Misano and we wish him a fast recovery!

“Meanwhile we’re pleased to welcome Kazuki Watanabe to our team, he has a lot of experience with Suzuki and he is putting together a strong season in the All Japan series, he also got third at Suzuka 8 hours just a few weeks ago.

‘The GSX-RR will be a very different challenge, but we will do our best for Watanabe-san in order for him to get the maximum out of this experience!”

Suzuki will withdraw from MotoGP at the end of the 2022 season in a shock announcement made following the Spanish GP back in May.

The Japanese manufacturer cited financial reasons for electing to end its MotoGP project just one year into a new five-year contract with series owner Dorna Sports.

It will also end its factory involvement with the Yoshimura SERT squad in the FIM Endurance World Championship.

Current rider Alex Rins will join LCR Honda in 2023, while Mir is set to join the factory Honda squad alongside Marc Marquez.

Ahead of the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, Honda Racing Corporation have confirmed that Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) will join the Repsol Honda Team ranks in 2023 on a two-year contract

The 2020 MotoGP™ World Champion will become Marc Marquez’s new teammate next season and in 2024, and joins current teammate Alex Rins in moving across from Suzuki to Honda after the 2022 campaign draws to a close.

​​​​​​​Aprilia Racing and RNF have confirmed that Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) will be racing RS-GPs next season in the Noale factory’s new Independent Team.

After the confirmation of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales in the official team, the pair of riders for Razlan Razali’s RNF Team has also been confirmed. Both Oliveira and Fernandez chose and strongly wanted Aprilia, despite the abundance of offers, showing great confidence in the potential of the new Independent Team.

The home favourite ended FP1 sixth-fastest on his factory Ducati but was caught up in an incident late on with LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez.

Bagnaia rolled off through the first sequence of corners and was riding slowly on the racing line through Turn 3 when Marquez approached at speed.

The LCR rider was forced to abort his lap, while Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini – who was behind the duo – also had to back out of his final flying lap.

Bagnaia was summoned by MotoGP Race Direction following FP1 and has been hit with a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Misano race.

A brief statement from the FIM Stewards Panel read: “On 2 September 2022 during the last run of the Grand Premio Gryfyn di San Marino E Della Riviera di Rimini FP1 session, you were observed to be riding slow on the racing line, causing a dangerous situation for other riders.

“This contravenes the specific instruction given to MotoGP competitors and teams, disrupting the session, and is considered irresponsible riding causing danger to other competitors.

“It is therefore an infringement of Article 1.21.2 of the FIM World Championship Grand Prix regulations.

“For the above reasons, having received an initial briefing, and after receiving several email reminders and warnings to both riders and teams during the last season, the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel has imposed a three-place grid position penalty.”

Bagnaia comes to his home round at Misano just 44 points off the championship lead having won the last three grands prix.

Having been 91 points adrift following a fourth DNF of the campaign at the German GP in June, Bagnaia’s recent purple patch has reignited his championship hopes.

Reigning world champion and current standings leader Fabio Quartararo led FP1 this morning from the sister works team Ducati of Jack Miller.

Bagnaia’s future factory teammate Bastianini was seventh after the incident, while Alex Marquez was left down in 14th after being forced to abort his final lap.

Mir, the 2020 MotoGP world champion, has been out of action since breaking his ankle in a lap one crash at the Austrian Grand Prix in August.

Sitting out the Misano round, Mir attempted to ride at Aragon but withdrew after Saturday and sat out last weekend’s Japanese GP too.

It was thought he would return for this weekend’s Thailand GP, but the recovery of his right ankle is taking longer than expected and he will now aim to be back on his Suzuki at the Australian GP in two weeks’ time. Instead, Suzuki has confirmed Mir will be replaced by ex-Ducati rider Petrucci.

“Needless to say, I’m so happy for the chance to race in Thailand with Team Suzuki Ecstar," Petrucci said. "I want to thank the team for giving me this fantastic opportunity.

"I also want to thank Ducati and my current team management for letting me take this stand-in ride. I’m really curious to jump on the GSX-RR and try it, it looks very fast and we know it’s a winning machine.

"I’m also eager to work with the Suzuki crew, that I’ve known for a long time now and we have a wonderful relationship. I know it won’t be easy, so I’m not putting any expectations on the experience, I just want to enjoy it.

"I’m also excited to be one of the few riders in history jumping from a MotoGP machine to a Dakar bike, a Superbike, then another factory MotoGP bike!”

Petrucci made his MotoGP debut in 2012 and rose from a back-of-the-grid seat at Ioda on a CRT-spec machine to the factory Ducati squad in 2019. The Italian won twice in his tenure with Ducati before moving to Tech3 KTM for 2021.

But a difficult season and desire from KTM to field its own up-and-coming riders in Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez led to Petrucci losing his place on the MotoGP grid. He remained with KTM for a maiden assault on the Dakar Rally, which yielded a stage win despite carrying injury into the event.

Petrucci had expected to continue with KTM to embark on a full rally raid programme in 2022, but this fell through and the Italian linked up with Ducati again to move to the MotoAmerica Superbike championship. He won five races for the Warhorse Ducati squad aboard a Panigale V4 and took the championship battle down to the wire in his first season.

However, Petrucci came up just 20 points short of champion Jake Gagne on the Yamaha. Petrucci was asked by Suzuki to replace Mir at the San Marino Grand Prix earlier this month, but he elected to focus on his MotoAmerica title battle instead.

Suzuki brought in occasional Moto2 starter Kazuki Watanabe as Mir’s stand-in at Misano, while test rider Takuya Tsuda was upgraded from wildcard status to fill in for Mir last weekend at Motegi.

​​​​​​​Petrucci's outing with Suzuki in Thailand will mark the sixth different chassis he has ridden in his MotoGP career.

The calendar is set to extend well beyond its current run of 20 races after Dorna Sports recently announced plans for a grand prix in India last week.

This followed on from an announcement that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding to bring MotoGP to Saudi Arabia in the next few years.

MotoGP now hopes to race at the new Sokol Circuit near the country of Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty after agreeing a five-year deal with organisers beginning in 2023.

A brief statement from MotoGP read: “The FIM MotoGP World Championship is coming to Kazakhstan!

“2023 marks the start of a new five-year deal that sees MotoGP touch down in a new region of the world as the stunning Sokol International Racetrack joins the calendar.

“Located just outside Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, Sokol is a brand-new motorsport complex constructed in the heart of Central Asia.

“The region will be a new pitstop for MotoGP as the sport continues to expand around the world, engaging with new markets and fanbases.

“Kazakhstan will also become the 30th country to host a motorcycle Grand Prix since 1949, a perfect landmark number to celebrate the ever-expanding history of the world’s first motorsport World Championship, and Sokol International Racetrack will be the 74th venue to host a premier class Grand Prix.”

A full 2023 calendar is expected to be revealed in due course, with the new season starting on 26 March in Portugal.

The traditional season-opening venue in Qatar had to be moved to later in the year owing to the Losail Circuit receiving a major facilities upgrade.

From next year, MotoGP will have sprint races at every round of the calendar, which will run over half-distance of the main race and take place on Saturdays.

This year’s MotoGP calendar was meant to feature 21 events, but the return of the Finnish Grand Prix had to be cancelled due to the track still not being completed on time.

The circuit has since gone bankrupt and is not likely to feature on the 2023 schedule.