Get ready for a thrilling twist in the MotoGP world! The crew chief behind Toprak Razlatiouglu's success is making a move, but not where you'd expect.
Fresh gossip from the MotoGP paddock reveals that Phil Marron, the mastermind behind Razlatiouglu's title triumphs, is leaving the World Superbike Championship for MotoGP in 2026. However, contrary to earlier reports, he won't be joining Razlatiouglu at Pramac Yamaha.
Razlatiouglu, it seems, had lobbied hard to bring Marron with him to Yamaha, but the team opted for someone with more recent prototype experience. Marron's last MotoGP stint was with his brother-in-law, Eugene Laverty, at Aspar Ducati in 2016.
Since 2019, Marron has been Razlatiouglu's trusted partner, starting with the satellite Kawasaki team, Pucetti Racing, and then progressing to Yamaha's factory team and BMW, where they claimed titles in 2021 and 2024, and are on track for a third in 2025.
But here's where it gets controversial... Razlatiouglu is now believed to be working with Ducati veteran Alberto Giribuola next year, following his split from Enea Bastianini and KTM's Tech3 team. This move is thought to be partly fueled by Giribuola's decision to join Yamaha.
So, where will Marron land? Sources suggest he's headed to KTM, not Yamaha. And this is the part most people miss: he might take over as Brad Binder's crew chief, replacing Andres Madrid. Binder, when asked about potential crew changes, didn't deny this rumor, leaving the door open for speculation.
"At the moment, everything's staying the same," he said. "For the future, I'm not 100% sure. I enjoy my team, but sometimes changes happen, and we'll just have to wait and see."
So, what do you think? Will Marron's move to KTM shake up the MotoGP landscape? And how will Binder's team adapt? Let's discuss in the comments and explore these intriguing possibilities!
