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The MotoGP riders are enjoying some weeks off but the managers are not on holiday. As proved by today's announcement about Bautista renewing his contract with team Aspar. In recent weeks, Alvaro's name had also been linked with Aprilia, who are unsure whether to keep Sam Lowes for another year.
In reality, the rider at the top of Aprilia's list has always been Petrucci, while the alternatives have failed to fully convince. Bautista was only let go a few months ago and there was a chance he might return.
Right now, Aprilia is in no hurry to decide on its second rider for 2018. On paper, there are many riders who would like to climb on board the RS-GP but no-one is shaking anything up. There's Redding for one, who has put himself forward as his place for next year is in doubt, with Miller knocking at Pramac's door, but perhaps he's not the right man for the second bike.
It's better to wait, leaving it for a few more races and allowing Sam Lowes to show his potential before deciding. The Brit is struggling in MotoGP but it's also his first year in the category, so to give him a second chance isn't out of the question.
In addition, this season Aprilia changed the whole team and may therefore prefer stability for 2018. Also because the RS-GP is still under development and in these cases it is best not to continually change the cards you have on the table.
Keeping Lowes would also make sense if we look ahead, to 2019. We saw last year just how early the market got moving and so it wouldn't be wrong to imagine that, in just a few months' time, teams will start to think about the next two years.
Many of the riders will be free and teams would therefore have more options. The RS-GP is becoming increasingly appealing and the guys at Noale would have the chance to attract a key rider with whom to develop the team.
Sam Lowes has a good chance of staying, now he just has to seize the opportunity.
