After confirmation that Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and newcomer Álvaro Bautista will be the two riders to pick up the new factory V4 machines next season, with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) leaving the team, all eyes are set on the third Aruba.it rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior).

The 2017 European Superstock 1000 Champion made his debut in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship this season, competing in the European rounds for the red machines. A series of promising performances from the youngster have not harmed his chances of joining the grid again in 2019, but with no official confirmation for the time being.

According to Speedweek.com, several options are on the table for Ducati concerning the 22-year-old. One of these would be to continue operating the junior team with Rinaldi at the helm; another, however, would see the Italian joining privateer team Barni Racing, who currently race with leading independent rider Xavi Fores (Barni Racing).

For now, Rinaldi will look to continue raising his stock with more good results in the two final rounds of the European season, at Portimao and Magny-Cours.

Click here for the full Speedweek report.

Watch Rinaldi and the rest of the paddock return to the tracks next week for the Nolan Portuguese Round thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass.