The provisional entry list of the 2019 MotoGP season has been revealed, with Yamaha's Maverick Vinales confirming his number change from 25 to 12, while Avintia confirms Tito Rabat's place.
Rabat joined Avintia from Marc VDS at the start of this year, but has been absent since the British Grand Prix after suffering a horror leg injury in a crash during a wet FP4 session at Silverstone.
The Spaniard was expected to return to action for the final round this weekend in Valencia, but has deferred his comeback to the post-race test beginning next Tuesday.
Highly expected to remain in Avintia colours having scored three top 10 finishes from the 11 races he contested this year, the release of the provisional entry list has confirmed the Spaniard's extended stay at the customer Ducati outfit.
All but Rabat from the 22-strong field had their futures confirmed earlier in the year, with the most notable change on the grid coming at Honda, with Jorge Lorenzo replacing the retiring Dani Pedrosa at HRC's works team.
Vinales announced he would be staying with Yamaha for two more years during the team's launch in February, but will switch from his familiar number 25 to 12, adopting this because of his January 12 birthday.
The Tech3 team will end its 20-year partnership with Yamaha in Valencia, switching to KTM machinery next season.
Moto2 runner-up Miguel Oliveira is one of four rookies stepping up to the premier class next season, and will run 88 as his number as his traditional 44 is already held by KTM stablemate Pol Espargaro.
Newly-crowned Moto2 world champion Francesco Bagnaia joins the Pramac team, riding a year-old GP18. Like Oliveira, he will field a change of number to 63, as 42 is currently occupied by Suzuki's Alex Rins.
At Suzuki, '17 Moto3 world champion Joan Mir will make his MotoGP debut with the Hamamatsu marque, and will retain his now famous 36, while Petronas Yamaha rookie Fabio Quartararo will continue with the number 20.
Fenati to make Moto3 return
Dirgraced former Moto2 race Romano Fenati, who was dropped by the Snipers team, lost his '19 seat with MV Agusta and received a ban from racing through to the end of this year after grabbing Forward Racing's Stefano Manzi's brake lever in an outburst during the Misano race, will return to Moto3 next year.
Fenati had been rumoured to be returning to the Marinelli team in Moto3, with whom he raced last season – his first since his ousting from the VR46 Academy in mid-'16 – and this has now been confirmed through the provisional entry list for the lightweight class.
The Italian will join Tony Arbolino at the rebranded Team O on Honda machinery, and will be his seventh season in the Moto3 class.
Discussion about this post