An expert verdict has arrived on what Pramac Yamaha should do in the second race seat of 2026.
The signature of Toprak Razgatlioglu kicked off the rider market.
Razgatlioglu leaves the world’s Superbike Championship and will represent the Yamaha satellite team in the 2026 MotoGP rider lineup.
But who will his teammate be?
Pramac currently operates Jack Miller, whose contract expires this year. Miguel Oliveira has signed a contract in 2026.
But can they choose to replace both riders and appoint a second rookie?
Our writers provide their verdict…
Peter McLaren: It is rumoured that Jack Miller has offers from superbikes around the world, but for me he deserves another year with the M1. Apart from Fabio Cartalaro, he is the only rider to show real speed at Yamaha this year.
Even if his race results don’t back it up, he is still second in the MotoGP rankings.
Moto2 title leader Manuel Gonzalez, also a former Yamaha rider like Toprak, was rumoured to be on Pramac’s radar, even before his impressive MotoGP debut at the trackhouse in the Aragon Test.
Gonzalez could be a future star, but Miller’s feedback and previous experience at Honda, Ducati and KTM are probably more valuable to Yamaha at this point – especially the V4 in the pipeline for 2026 and the new 850cc will be created in 2027.
Quartarraro has raced Yamaha, but only Alex Rins will leave the experience of another MotoGP bike if they sign another rookie with Toprak.
Miller will be joining Yamaha’s Suzuki 8-Hour Team. The progress is going smoothly in Japan as well.
Miguel Oliberia’s injury means he still didn’t have the right opportunity to show what he could do with the M1, but Toprack now confirms that someone has to make a room and it is rumoured that there are clauses in his contract.
Before Oliveira’s Aragon Test Debrief, Pramac Press Officer told the media that they could shut down next year’s story simply by asking questions about the test. If Oliveria’s “two-year” trade was safe, it wouldn’t have been necessary.
Instead of confirming the Yamaha announcement alongside Toprak, “We will be communicating more details on the 2026 lineup of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team.”
Alex Whitworth: The issue with the second seat at Pramac in 2026 feels like something I’ve been asking about for a while, but it’s not yet what happens or what should happen.
The wisest choice is to keep Oliveira. He has a contract for next year and breaking it is extremely troublesome.
Miguel Oliveira
However, Oliveira’s best finish this year was 14th. While we can excuse that by the fact that he missed four races due to injury, it is also true that the Portuguese rider doesn’t look like a rider who can consistently challenge himself at the forefront of MotoGP races since his last win at the Factory KTM in 2021 at Barcelona.
If the decision is made to replace Oliveira, Manuel Gonzalez is a clear choice. This is because both Tony Alborino and Izan Guevara from the Pramac Yamaha Moto2 teams are particularly good this year.
Gonzalez was also doing MotoGP tests under his belt, and it seemed to work very well. Before moving to Moto2 with Yamaha VR46 Master Camp in 2022, it was even a reunion of sorts for Gonzalez and Yamaha.
So Gonzalez is a talent Yamaha knows, and his tests at the Truckhouse RS-GP showed Yamaha that he could step up very smoothly to MotoGP.
Gonzalez is a clear choice to replace Oliveira – if they choose to replace him. I think that should be held back for a while to give the Portuguese a proper race after injury.
Jordan Moreland: For me, they have to keep the mirror. He has been thriving in Yamaha since joining them in the beginning of 2025 and it feels like he’s really immersed in the culture of factories and projects.
Jack Miller
Oliveira was unlucky with his injuries, but I don’t think he’s good enough to keep his seat in front of Jack. Oliveira’s days at RNF Aprilia and Truckhouse were extremely overwhelming considering the good work he did at KTM.
But this has been the same for Oliveira so far for Pramac. He was the slowest Yamaha, and it’s safe to say the factory had more expectations from the winners of five MotoGP races.
Yamaha rewarded Miller to take the lead in the Suzuka 8-hour factory effort, so it shows me how much they appreciated his efforts.
I think he will be held by Yamaha despite his one-year contract. In 2026 he and Razgatriogul will meet each other at Pramak.
Derry Munikartono: Following the announcement of Razgatlioglu, both Pramac and Yamaha are facing major headaches regarding their second seat. In my view, Oliveira and Miller remain major candidates for seats alongside Top Rack. But this is the catch…
From a performance standpoint, Miller is an obvious choice. The Australian has already shown strong adaptability in the transition from KTM to Yamaha, and has consistently emerged as the second best YZR-M1 rider behind Quartararo. However, Miller has a one-year contract that expires at the end of this season. In contrast, Oliveira has a safer two-year contract until 2026. However, the slow adaptation to Yamaha bikes and the history of his injuries work against him.
My verdict? Pramac and Yamaha should do whatever it takes to keep the Miller better than Oliveira. He’s a faster, more fitter rider – and what Yamaha needs next season along with Razgatrioguru.