Eugene Laverty looks set to remain with his Aspar MotoGP team next season but will switch to Ducati machinery as Bologna-contracted rider Yonny Hernandez joins the squad in place of Nicky Hayden.

The team’s future had been in doubt for next year due a lack of title sponsor this season and team manager Jorge Martinez propping up the operation with his own, non inconsequential wallet. It was for these reasons that Laverty’s second season in the premier class looked rocky but the team’s talks with Ducati boss Paolo Ciabatti have moved in the right direction.

It is believed that Laverty and Hernandez will get a brace of Desmosedici GP14.2s to compete on in 2016 using the new Michelin tyres and spec-ECU - which is based around Ducati’s system anyway - and Aspar will retain his grid slots before moving into the 2017 season where new funding regulations will see satellite teams get mountains of Dorna dosh.

Hernandez was already on a two-year deal with the factory but where he would ride was made somewhat unclear when his Pramac seat was handed to Scott Redding and then Avintia Ducati announced at Aragon that Loris Baz would join Hector Barbera for 2016 but the Aspar gig will receive at least the same if not more support than Avintia.

Although out of the boz, the GP14.2 won't be ultra-competitive, Ducati rewards riders and team that perform well with regular upgrades whereas Honda are a little more frugal with their parts. The Japanese giant will thin its operation slightly next season with Jack Miller going to the Marc VDS team alongside Tito Rabat and LCR running only Cal Crutchlow.