Guenther Steiner “surprised” by speed of 2027 MotoGP rider market

New Tech3 KTM owner Guenther Steiner admits the speed of the 2027 MotoGP rider market has caught him by surprise.

This weekend’s Thai MotoGP season opener marks the first event for the former F1 team manager since officially acquiring the Tech3 squad from Herve Poncharal.

But before a racing lap has even been completed in 2026, speculation is already swirling over major moves for the incoming 850cc era in 2027.

The rumours include Pedro Acosta to Ducati, Francesco Bagnaia to Aprilia, Fabio Quartararo to Honda, plus Jorge Martin and Luca Marini to Yamaha.

Tech3’s current rider Maverick Vinales has also been linked with promotion to the factory KTM team, should Acosta’s Ducati switch materialise.

'Where is the motivation for 2026?'

Steiner admitted the early timing of MotoGP’s rider negotiations had surprised him, and questioned the motivation of riders already planning to leave their current teams at the end of this season.

“Well, I'm very surprised how quickly the rider market starts here!” Steiner told MotoGP.com. 

“It hit me a little bit because we haven't even started the season, and riders are already speaking about where they're going to be in ‘27.

“I need to get used to it. But I think this year it started earlier than it does normally.

"It's a weird thing. We haven't started the season, and if a rider predicts to be somewhere else in ‘27, the motivation for '26 - I don't know where it is?

“So for me, it's very early. And I think we are a little bit behind the wave here, obviously, because we just started with the team at the beginning of the year. 

"So let's see what's coming out. And again, let's see what is real and what is just a lot of rumours.”

Vinales and team-mate Enea Bastianini were twelfth and 17th respectively during Friday practice at Buriram.