Enea Bastianini: 'I am evaluating several future options; there could be a surprise'

Enea Bastianini is "looking for the best solution" for his future in MotoGP and hasn't ruled out a surprise move for the 2027 season.

The Tech3 rider confirmed ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix a report first published by Motorsport.com, admitting that he signed a 2+1-year contract with KTM two years ago, which would keep him tied to the Austrian manufacturer until the end of 2028. However, he added that a clause in the agreement allows him to leave freely at the end of the current season.

The Italian rider has yet to rediscover the form that made him one of MotoGP’s standout performers in 2022, when he raced for Gresini on a Ducati. That year, he won on his debut with the team in Qatar and went on to take four victories - a run that earned him a surprise promotion to the factory Ducati squad, where he added three more wins across two seasons.

He then moved to KTM with Tech3, but has struggled to fully adapt to the bike. However, his performance in Austin offered a glimmer of encouragement for the rider from Rimini.

With the rider market in flux, everything points to Bastianini having reached an agreement to return to Gresini next year, potentially completing the story that began in 2022.

"It is useless to say that one is not thinking about the future," Bastianini admitted this Thursday in Jerez.

"Indeed, it is being thought about, and the best solution is being sought for us; we will see what it will be.

When asked by Motorsport.com if his 2+1 contract with KTM could be an inconvenience when it comes to resolving his future, he replied: "I have a contract, let’s say, with KTM, but it is a contract that can be dissolved."

Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo

Pressued further as to whether breaking the contract would involve financial compensation, he added: "I cannot give details of my contract."

In any case, it is expected that Gresini will be his likely choice for the start of MotoGP's 850cc era.

"I am evaluating many things, and the truth is that a surprise could emerge," he said, though it was unclear if he was joking or not.

Tech3 is currently finalising a switch in manufacturer, and is set to end its partnership with KTM to align with Honda from 2027. That would reduce KTM’s presence on the grid to two bikes, meaning the manufacturer will have to part ways with two of its current riders.

Bastianini is expected to be one of them, while one or both of Maverick Vinales and Brad Binder could also lose their seats, if reports that Fabio Di Giannantonio is pushing for a factory KTM ride alongside Alex Marquez prove accurate.