The Aprilia MotoGP team has announced that Scott Redding will replace Sam Lowes in 2018.

While Lowes is in the first year of a two-year contract with Aprilia, news broke on the Friday of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend that the Italian manufacturer had triggered a break clause in his contract.

Lowes has finished in the points just once out of the 11 races so far this season and failed to finish four times, three of which were due to crashes.

Redding, whose seat at the Pramac Ducati team will be taken by Jack Miller, denied on Friday that any deal had been completed, but was understood to be close to doing so.

Aprilia has now announced that Redding will ride for the Gresini-run team alongside Aleix Esparagaro, thus also formally confirming Lowes’s exit.

Redding’s move means he will have ridden for three manufacturers in five years in MotoGP’s premier class, having spent two seasons on Honda machinery before joining Pramac for 2016.

“Scott is a rider who, in spite of his young age, has significant experience in MotoGP,” said Aprilia racing manager Romano Albesiano.

“We are pleased to have him join our project and we think that his talent and the continued growth of the RS-GP will allow the team and him to achieving important results.

“With Scott’s contribution, we expect that the team’s work will bring Aprilia even closer to the top of the championship, into the positions that such a glorious brand deserves to occupy.”

Lowes’ future in MotoGP now hangs in the balance, with a ride with the Marc VDS Honda outfit likely his only chance of remaining on the grid for 2018.

“We bid Sam Lowes farewell, certainly thanking him for his commitment and efforts during this, his rookie season in MotoGP, and for the contribution he has made to the team’s growth,” Albesiano added.

“He is a rider who will doubtless be able to express his talent, but right now we must make choices that allow us to fulfil our commitments to (Aprilia’s owner) the Piaggio Group and our fans.”

2018 MotoGP teams and riders

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