Aprilia to discuss Melandri's future

Marco Melandri's performances in recent races have led to plenty of questions about his motivation to succeed on the Aprilia in MotoGP. After finishing last at Mugello the Italian squad has started to talk openly about the prospects of replacing the veteran on the RS-GP.

With teammate Alvaro Bautista having scored points this year and shown a clear desire to improve the bike Melandri has been a shadow of the rider that challenged for the world title in 2005 and the one that was winning races in WSBK last year. Team manager, Romano Albesiano, spoke to the Italian media after the race and said:

"We know what the situation is and in the coming days we will talk in private with Marco. We'll try to figure out if there is some problem and listen to his opinion."

Those private discussions are likely centred on how to remove Melandri from the MotoGP bike and bring in a new rider. However, with his large retainer it's unlikely that Melandri will be willing to move quietly from the MotoGP paddock even though he has made little secret of his desire to return to WSBK. Aprilia insiders have revealed to MCN that they are almost certain the Melandri has signed a deal to race for Yamaha when the Japanese manufacturer returns to WSBK next year.

If Melandri is ousted at Aprilia there are plenty of candidates to replace him. Alex de Angelis has ridden well on the ART bike for Ioda and having been able to outqualify Melandri he'll feel that he has done enough to show his potential.

Michael Laverty will also be linked to the ride however his commitment to Tyco BMW in British Superbikes could be a stumbling block. The Irishman has been instrumental in developing the seamless shift gearbox and improving the bike with his testing work for Aprilia but he'll need to be given permission to take the ride with Aprilia. With only Philip Island clashing with BSB rounds he may feel that he can balance both championships.

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