Valentino Rossi's crew to leave SRT for VR46 in 2022

Valentino Rossi might not be switching from SRT to race for his new VR46 MotoGP team next season, instead opting for retirement, but the three crew members that joined Petronas Yamaha alongside him this year will be making the move.

Crew chief David Munoz, data technician Matteo Flamigni and coach Idalio Gavira will all take up roles at the VR46 Ducati team, which is set to field Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi during its debut season as a full premier-class entry.

"I don’t know if it is official, but I think that my team - David, Matteo - will work with us [at VR46]. I think one of them with my brother and the other with Bezzecchi," Rossi said.

"Also Idalio Gavira, my coach, will work for us and be the coach of both riders. [All three] have a lot of experience of working at the top so it’s good to have this kind of experience for our team."

Rossi has worked with Flamigni since first arriving at Yamaha in 2004 while Munoz was picked to become The Doctor's crew chief from 2020 after impressing with the VR46 team in Moto2, including title glory with Francesco Bagnaia in 2018.

The departure of Munoz means that the new RNF Yamaha team, taking over the SRT grid slots and satellite Yamaha machinery from 2022, will need to find a new crew chief for rookie Darryn Binder.

Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso's side of the RNF garage is expected to remain largely unchanged.