A new rumour surfaced on Friday at Le Mans, for the second factory Suzuki seat alongside Alex Rins … that the place is earmarked for his highly fancied Spanish compatriot Joan Mir.

Already Moto3 champion and so far easily top rookie in Moto2, the 20-year-old from Majorca is tipped for a big future, and an early switch to MotoGP could be part of a primrose path.

But Suzuki team boss Davide Brivio, spotted yesterday in a stand-up row with current incumbent Andrea Iannone, remained cagy when pressed by Dorna’s cameras.

“We are talking to several riders. We all know each other, all the managers. We have two ways to look at: one is to find an experienced rider, the other to take another young rider. We are talking to Iannone’s manager, also to others. I hope to know more at Mugello.”

Iannone, French MotoGP 2018

A mid-season change of line-up in the Malaysian-backed SIC Racing Team in Moto2 sees 22-year-old Finnish rider Niki Tuuli move over from Supersport 600 to take the place of Zulfahmi Khairuddin. The Malaysian former 125 and Moto3 veteran had been drafted in after the unexpected departure of Hafizh Syahrin to Tech3 in MotoGP, but had told the team he did not feel up to speed after two years absence from the series.

By Michael Scott