With Franco Morbidelli sitting on the sidelines this weekend in Assen, the Petronas Yamaha SRT squad welcomes Garrett Gerloff as replacement for this weekend's MotoGP round in the Netherlands. The 25-year-old first made his debut in Valencia last year, but couldn't join the race because Valentino Rossi managed to return after his COVID-19 scare.

According to Gerloff, "I’m excited for the opportunity ahead, I’m not someone who runs away from a challenge, so I’m ready to get to the track. It’ll be a new circuit for me, I like trying new tracks, it looks fun, fast and flowing, and really suits my riding style. I’m looking forward to jumping on the Yamaha M1 again and twisting the throttle. We’ll see how things go, but I feel good and would like to thank Yamaha and the team for considering me. It won’t be easy, but I’m going to give it my best shot!"

As for Dato' Razlan Razali, Petronas Yamaha SRT's team principal, he stated "Everyone has had to move very quickly after the news late yesterday that Franco would not be able to race this weekend and we give our thanks to Yamaha for facilitating this. We’re very excited to welcome Garrett to the team this weekend and realise that it’s a tough task to come in at late notice but we are confident that he will be able to do a good job. We wish Franco all the best for his recovery and hope to welcome him back to the track after the summer break."