As revealed by Motorsport.com yesterday, Maverick Vinales' move to Yamaha means the rest of the pieces of the puzzle will now start falling in place quickly.

Pedrosa will be the next man to sign a new deal with Honda, meaning he will stay with the Japanese team at least until he is 33 years old.

The Catalan approved the deal last Friday, and Honda's intention is to announce it officially before Yamaha confirms Vinales next Thursday.

This way, Honda secures its second rider before it has signed its first one, although both the team and Marc Marquez are aware they will end up reaching a deal.

Suzuki looks to Ducati riders

Vinales' arrival at Yamaha means one of the two Suzuki bikes will be available in 2017.

Given how much the GSX-RR bike has improved over the past months - and its potential to get even better - that seat will be the most coveted from now on.

As of today, Suzuki is considering two options: signing one of the two Andreas, Iannone or Dovizioso - the one Ducati lets go - or go for a riskier approach and hire a young and less experienced rider, probably from Moto2.

In this case, the favourites would be Johann Zarco, the reigning Moto2 champion, and Alex Rins, winner of the most recent race at Le Mans.