New SIC Yamaha MotoGP team unveils full 2019 line-up and Petronas
The new SIC Yamaha MotoGP team has confirmed it will carry title sponsorship from Petronas, while officially unveiling 2019 riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo and its Moto2 and Moto3 line-ups


SIC will replace the Angel Nieto Ducati team on the MotoGP grid next year, and will take over from Tech3 as Yamaha's satellite team.
In a press conference during MotoGP's British Grand Prix, it was confirmed that the Sepang-owned team will field Morbidelli and Quartararo next year and be sponsored Malaysian oil company Petronas.
Valentino Rossi protege and reigning Moto2 champion Morbidelli moves across from the Marc VDS Honda team where he is spending his MotoGP rookie season.
Quartararo graduates from Moto2 having been picked over current Nieto rider Alvaro Bautista, who is heading for World Superbikes with Ducati, and after Dani Pedrosa chose to retire rather than join SIC.
Azman Yahya, chairman of the Sepang International Circuit, said: "The formation of this team completes our motorsport development programme for Sepang.
"We started four years ago with Moto3, moving to Moto2 this year, and within a four-year period we are present in Asian Talent Cup, Spanish CEV, Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP, it is an unprecedented position for any team in the world.

"This dream of having a MotoGP team is shared not just by us but by millions of Malaysians, the fans.
"We saw as a track owner how the support of Malaysian MotoGP improved over the last few years since we had riders in the lower categories and we expect this year we will surpass last year's crowd record, 150.000 over the weekend.
"This is very important for us as the track owner."
SIC entered Moto2 for the first time this year, but its original rider Hafizh Syahrin ended up moving to MotoGP with Tech3, and neither of his replacements - Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Niki Tuuli - have managed to score a point so far.
For 2019, the team will field Khairul Idham Pawi, who is currently in his second year in Moto2 and is 27th in the standings.
In Moto3, SIC has signed series veteran John McPhee alongside Ayumu Sasaki - who will continue with the team for a third consecutive season.
2019 MotoGP rider line-up so far
Honda
Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo
Yamaha
Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales
Ducati
Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci
Suzuki
Alex Rins, Joan Mir
KTM
Johann Zarco, Pol Espargaro
Aprilia
Andrea Iannone, Aleix Espargaro
Pramac Ducati
Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia
Tech3 KTM
Hafiz Syahrin, Miguel Oliveira
LCR Honda
Cal Crutchlow, TBA
Avintia Ducati
TBA, TBA
SIC Yamaha
Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Quartararo

Petrucci slams Lorenzo over 'terrifying' Silverstone practice miss
Mexico and Finland will not join MotoGP calendar in 2019

Latest news
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's Portugal win wasn't only vital for his MotoGP title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
How a MotoGP legend is preparing for an unexpected comeback at Goodwood
Wayne Rainey, who’s paralysed from the chest down, will ride his 1992 500cc world championship-winning bike again at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The American motorcycle legend explains how he's preparing to thrill on his first visit to the famed hillclimb