Official: Pramac signs with Yamaha for MotoGP 2025

A major piece in the 2025 MotoGP jigsaw has fallen into place with confirmation that the title-leading Pramac team will leave Ducati and become Yamaha’s new satellite team.

Pramac’s future with Ducati had been shrouded in doubt due to the departure of world championship leader Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez declaring that Pramac was not an option for him and Yamaha’s quest for a second MotoGP team.

Marquez was subsequently picked for the official Ducati seat, sending Martin into the arms of Aprilia.

With other big names such as Enea Bastianini (Tech3), Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) also signing 2025 deals, the Pramac-Yamaha speculation increased once again.

Although the M1 hasn’t won a race since mid-2022, Yamaha’s increased investment in its MotoGP project and long-term stability (amid rumours of a closer VR46-Ducati future) were seen as tempting for Pramac.

Team owner Paolo Campinoti told GPone.com that the delighted reaction of Ducati management when Enea Bastianini overtook Martin at the final corner in Mugello was also a factor, while the Yamaha deal is for seven years.

The Pramac-Yamaha deal, for the supply of factory spec M1s, was officially confirmed by Yamaha on Friday afternoon at the Dutch MotoGP round:

'Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. are delighted to announce their multi-year agreement with Prima Pramac Racing which will see two extra Factory Yamaha YZR-M1s lined up on the MotoGP grid from 2025 onwards.

'The new second Factory Yamaha team will remain independently owned and keep their base in Rugby (UK).

'The 2025 Prima Pramac Racing rider line-up will be announced in due course.

'By doubling Yamaha's current presence on the MotoGP grid next year, Yamaha aim to make a strong statement of their intentions to return to winning ways in the near future.'

Shortly after, a statement was released by Pramac:

'Prima Pramac Racing is thrilled to join Yamaha as a second Factory Team from the 2025 MotoGP season.

'The chapter with Yamaha opens a new era for Prima Pramac Racing, promising exciting opportunities and a renewed sense of ambition. Yamaha, with its rich heritage and proven track record in MotoGP, aligns perfectly with Prima Pramac Racing’s vision for the future.

'For the past 20 seasons, Pramac Racing has enjoyed a successful collaboration with Ducati, establishing itself as a formidable force in the MotoGP™ paddock. The decision to part ways with Ducati was not taken lightly and we thank them for a long and successful career together.

'For the remainder of the season, Prima Pramac Racing is committed to maintaining its current momentum in the Championship and team spirit with Ducati.

'Prima Pramac Racing and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. look forward to embarking on this exciting new journey together, with shared goals and a united vision for success in MotoGP.'

Pramac made its MotoGP debut in 2002, taking Bridgestone’s first podiums and race wins with Makoto Tamada and Honda machinery. Pramac later merged with the d’Antin team, which had been running Ducatis since 2004.

After podiums with the likes of Alex Barros, Toni Elias, Scott Redding, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco, Martin finally gave Pramac its first Ducati victory, as a rookie, in 2021.

Last year saw a new high for Pramac with Martin battling Bagnaia for the world championship until the final round and Zarco adding his debut race victory to carry Pramac to the teams’ title.

Martin, again seeking to become the first satellite to clinch the ‘MotoGP’ crown, currently leads the standings by 18-points from Bagnaia with new team-mate Franco Morbidelli 14th after missing all of pre-season testing due to a head injury.

Morbidelli’s former team-mate Quartararo is the top Yamaha rider in 13th, having taken a best of fifth in the damp Jerez Sprint (when he was third across the finish line but handed a penalty for low tyre pressure).

With Morbidelli seen as unlikely to want a Yamaha return, the Italian is predicted to join VR46 in place of new factory Aprilia signing Bezzecchi.

Other proven MotoGP race winners still officially available for Pramac Yamaha in 2025 are Quartararo’s current team-mate Alex Rins (tipped to re-sign at the factory), plus Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse), Joan Mir (Repsol Honda), Fabio di Giannantonio (VR46), plus former Pramac riders Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) and Andrea Iannone (currently in WorldSBK).

Yamaha, which like Honda currently has access to the full range of technical concessions due to its recent poor results, hasn’t had a satellite MotoGP team since RNF switched to Aprilia in 2022.

Prior to RNF, Tech3 had been a satellite Yamaha team from 2001 until 2018, when the French squad joined forces with KTM. Yamaha then backed the new Petronas SRT project, which took the first satellite Yamaha wins of the MotoGP era with Quartararo and Morbidelli in 2020.

With rising star Quartararo promoted to the factory Yamaha team, Valentino Rossi swapped places with the Frenchman and joined SRT for his and the team’s final MotoGP campaign in 2021.

Rossi’s long links with Yamaha made his VR46 team the obvious candidate for a satellite M1 deal. But VR46 made clear the competitiveness of the Ducati was key and has been pushing to strengthen its links with the Bologna manufacturer.

That is now expected to include inheriting at least one of Pramac’s factory-spec machines next season.

Meanwhile, Moto2 star Fermin Aldeguer, already signed by Ducati for MotoGP in 2025 but without a confirmed team, will now either ride for Gresini or VR46.