Yamaha relies on David Munoz as a key figure for the Martin switch

– Yamaha is preparing intensively for the next MotoGP season and has made an important personnel decision for the integration of Jorge Martin.

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According to information from our partner site Motorsport.com, the Japanese manufacturer is relying on David Munoz, the current crew chief of Alex Rins. He is supposed to support the reigning MotoGP world champion in his move to Yamaha and facilitate his entry into the new working environment.

Martin will compete for the official Yamaha factory team from the upcoming season and will start alongside Ai Ogura. The Spaniard made his MotoGP debut in 2021 with a Ducati from the Pramac team. He stayed there until his greatest success, the title win in 2024, before making the move to Aprilia.

After two years with the manufacturer from Noale, the next career phase is now approaching. Martin will switch to Yamaha, where he is expected to take over the position of Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman will become the new flagship of Honda in the future.

Munoz is supposed to ease Martin’s acclimatization

Especially in a season like 2027 with numerous changes, the collaboration between riders and engineers could play a decisive role.

Munoz currently manages the Yamaha box where Rins works and has extensive experience within the Japanese factory structure. He made his way into the Yamaha factory team in 2020 with the support of Valentino Rossi.

The nine-time world champion was then in the final phase of his MotoGP career and decided to replace Silvano Galbusera as his crew chief with Munoz. Munoz had previously been part of the VR46 project in the Moto2 class.

Martin will not arrive at Yamaha alone. He brings his trusted mechanic David Galacho, better known by his nickname “Malaguita”. Galacho had already supported Martin during his time at Pramac-Ducati and subsequently followed him to the Aprilia factory team.

On the other side of the Yamaha box, many indications suggest that Ai Ogura will work with Diego Gubellini in the future. Gubellini has so far been the right hand of Fabio Quartararo and could thus remain within the Yamaha structure.

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Further changes in the MotoGP teams

Since the majority of the rider market for 2027 is already settled, other teams are increasingly focusing on assembling their technical structures. Some partnerships are already confirmed, others still need to be officially announced.

At Ducati, the collaboration between Pedro Acosta and Cristian Gabarrini is already decided. Further personnel decisions are still in preparation.

Photo series: The crew chiefs of the MotoGP riders

One of the still pending announcements concerns Nicolo Bulega. The Italian is expected to move to VR46 and compete there together with Fermin Aldeguer. Aldeguer holds the status of a factory rider at Ducati and will work with Massimo Branchini in the future, who currently supports Di Giannantonio.

Bulega, in turn, is supposed to have Matteo Flamigni by his side. Flamigni also belongs to Valentino Rossi’s former crew and is currently taking care of Franco Morbidelli.

Mir meets an old acquaintance at Gresini

An interesting personnel decision is also emerging at Gresini. Joan Mir will work again with Frankie Carchedi there. Together, they have already celebrated great successes: with Suzuki, they won the MotoGP world championship in 2020.

On the other side of the Gresini box, David Holgado will probably work with Donatello Giovanotti in the future. Giovanotti is currently working as an engineer alongside Alex Marquez.

The latter will compete in the future with an official KTM. Who will accompany him there as a race engineer is not yet known. There is also no final decision yet regarding his future teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio.

The upcoming MotoGP season thus promises not only numerous rider changes but also many new technical compositions within the teams. Especially the collaboration between riders and their engineers could become a decisive factor in the fight for wins and titles.

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