Francesco Guidotti Speaks Clearly on Raul Fernandez’s Future — Contract Extension Is on the Horizon — Details to Follow Soon
The Trackhouse team has introduced Francesco Guidotti as its new team manager. The Italian officially began his new role at the Czech Republic Grand Prix.
His predecessor, Davide Brivio, will nevertheless remain with the team until the end of the season before moving to Honda, where he will not only work on the MotoGP project but also handle marketing and business development.
The most important issue that currently needs to be resolved at Trackhouse concerns the riders. Since Ai Ogura decided to move to the Yamaha factory team, Trackhouse boss Justin Marks fundamentally reevaluated the rider situation.
It was no longer certain that Raul Fernandez would stay. Trackhouse spoke with various riders and explored possible alternatives. Thanks to his recent performances, however, Fernandez has moved back into pole position.
The Spaniard won the sprints at Mugello and Assen. At Assen, he finished second in the Grand Prix behind his teammate Ogura. After ten race weekends, Fernandez is sixth in the World Championship standings.
By Assen at the latest, it was clear that he would retain his spot at Trackhouse. Guidotti also confirmed this to Sky Italia: “His future will certainly be with us. We’re on the right track for the contract extension.”
“We’re really just working out the details. Let’s say we’ve already agreed on the most important points, so it’s really a matter of days, if not hours.”
The second Trackhouse rider is also all but confirmed. KTM had an option on Enea Bastianini until June 30, but it was not exercised. This means the Italian is a free agent and can finalize the formalities with Trackhouse.
The US team’s rider lineup for 2027 and 2028 will thus be Fernandez and Bastianini. Fernandez has been riding for Trackhouse since 2024 and previously spent one season with its predecessor team, RNF.
For Bastianini, the move to Aprilia will mark his third different manufacturer in MotoGP. From 2021 to 2024, he rode for Ducati, spending two of those years on the factory team. For 2025, the now 28-year-old moved to the Tech3-KTM team.
Aprilia will thus field a total of three Italians over the next two years. In addition to Marco Bezzecchi, Francesco Bagnaia has also been confirmed for the factory team; he has even signed a four-year contract.