MotoGP racer Stefan Bradl has confirmed he will leave the series at the end of the 2016 season.
He took the Moto2 crown in 2011 before graduating to MotoGP the following year with LCR Honda, finishing seventh in the standings.
Bradl then switched to Forward Yamaha for 2015 but made the switch to Aprilia mid-way through the season.
The manufacturer has opted for Aleix Espargaró and Sam Lowes next season, leaving Bradl without a drive for MotoGP in 2017.
"I will not be there in Grand Prix racing next year," Bradl, currently 15th in the 2016 riders’ championship, is quoted telling Speedweek.
"The MotoGP World Championship will take place without me, although my decision was not easy.
"I made my decision in early June at Barcelona [that] if I did not continue at Aprilia then there would be no more competitive place in MotoGP for me."
