On Wednesday morning ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Yamaha announced it would be parting ways with Morbidelli at the end of the 2023 season.
Morbidelli has been a Yamaha-backed rider since 2019 and was runner-up in the championship the following year, but has struggled for form since stepping up to the factory squad midway through 2021.
It has been rumoured for some time that Rins, currently contracted to Honda at LCR, could take Morbidelli’s Yamaha seat next season.
Wednesday’s announcement has paved the way for this, with Rins expressing at various points this year his frustrations at a lack of support from Honda upon his switch from Suzuki at the end of 2022.
This has come despite Rins being Honda’s only race winner in a miserable 2023 season for the Japanese marque, with the Spaniard taking victory at the Americas GP.
But since that point, Rins hasn’t received any added backing from Honda, which includes never testing the Kalex chassis the factory squad first raced at the French GP.
Source: Autosport