Honda rider Joan Mir lined up for a shock move to Ducati next season 

Repsol Honda rider Joan Mir is reportedly in negotiations with Ducati to join them next year. The Spanish rider is currently 24th in the championship standings and is badly struggling for pace with the Japanese team.

As per a report by Motosprint, Mir is eyeing a move to the Gresini Racing team and will likely abandon his struggling Japanese team come 2024. Currently, Fabio di Giannantonio is with Gresini, with the Italian needing to be removed from the squad if Mir is to join.

Joan Mir's first season with Honda has been dismal, with the Spaniard having completed only one GP so far - the season opener in Portugal. Mir is also contracted with the team until the end of next year, making it uncertain if we will see a switch to Ducati in 2024.

Motosprint's report states that it is not certain if Mir will win the seat with the Italian team, with Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino reportedly trying for the same seat. However, it is certain that Mir has to find a solution to his woes given Honda's dismal state at the moment.

The Spaniard - who races alongside Marc Marquez - is currently recovering from injuries and is expected to be back in time for the Silverstone GP, which will take place on August 6.

MotoGP concessions could make a return to the grid to help Yamaha and Honda

MotoGP concessions might make a controversial return to the sport to help struggling teams such as Honda and Yamaha.

Concessions were introduced in 2014 to level the playing field across the grid, with the hopes of providing stiffer competition across the board. Suzuki, Aprilia, and KTM joined the grid in 2015 and 2017 thanks to concessions, giving smaller teams a chance to fight with the top dogs.

To be considered for concessions, manufacturers had to have been new to the grid or have gone without a dry weather win in the previous year's championship. As per reports from Motorsport.com, talks regarding concessions might take place ahead of the race at Silverstone.

However, Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP, has yet to make any comments about the same, putting Honda and Yamaha's future in jeopardy. The Repsol team is currently last in the 2023 teams' championship, with Marc Marquez questioning why great riders have failed at the marquee team.

It will be interesting to see if MotoGP re-introduces concessions to help struggling teams.