Luca Marini negotiating move to Tech3 KTM for 2027

Luca Marini will bring his three-year spell at Honda to an end at the end of the current MotoGP season, and his next destination could possibly be Tech3 KTM, with which he is already in negotiations.

The first moves within the rider market became official this weekend following the signing of the commercial agreement between the championship, manufacturers and teams.

In Assen, where the Dutch Grand Prix is being held this weekend, talks between the riders who are still looking for a destination and the two teams that still have at least one seat available for next year, Tech3 and Trackhouse, have intensified. One of the most eye-catching discussions is being held between the representatives of Marini and the Tech3 team, now in the hands of a group of investors whose public face is former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner.

As Motorsport.com has learned, after three seasons at Honda, Marini will not remain with the factory HRC team next season and is negotiating his move to Tech3, KTM's satellite team. The management of the French outfit is interested in the Italian rider; however, there had been some reservations on the manufacturer's side.

This Friday, in Assen, Marini held a first meeting with KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer, after which the former motocross rider "was impressed" with the Italian, giving the green light to the negotiations.

Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3 (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images)

Vinales sees himself out

KTM has Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales under contract until the end of the year, with a clause allowing the manufacturer to renew them automatically and unilaterally until 30 June.

Neither the Austrian manufacturer nor Tech3 intends to exercise that contract extension. In this way, next Tuesday, Bastianini will be able to officially tie his future to Trackhouse, while Vinales will be left without a bike for next season, as he himself complained on Thursday, pointing the finger at the Mattighofen manufacturer.

As Motorsport has learned, Tech3 is also negotiating with young Australian Moto2 talent Senna Agius, who would take the team's other seat, which would automatically not only leave Vinales out, but also leave Brad Binder, who has been in KTM's orbit for the last 15 seasons, seven of them in MotoGP, without a place within the structure, as Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio will make up the factory line-up for 2027.

Bulega very close to VR46

With Marini on the departure ramp towards Tech3, the doors of his brother Valentino Rossi's team, the VR46 Racing Team, are definitively opening for Nicolo Bulega, Ducati's factory rider in the World Superbike Championship. The clear leader of the production-based championship at the moment, Bulega is under contract with the Italian manufacturer to complete five tests this year with the 850cc MotoGP bike. In addition, the Italian wants to make the jump to the premier paddock and, finally, it seems Ducati will be able to accommodate him in the structure run by #46.

For the moment, the deal is not closed, as some important points of the agreement still have to be negotiated, such as which part of the salary and of the bike will be paid by the manufacturer, and which by the team.

Marini has given up using the 'wildcard' of returning to his brother's team, as he believes that move would work against him in terms of credibility. "Because of his quality and character, bringing him back would be very interesting for us, but he has decided to look for his future elsewhere and we have to respect that. We are talking with Bulega, he is an option, but not the only one," sources from the Tavullia-based team told Motorsport.com.