• Johann Zarco has been removed from the MotoGP team for the remainder of the season.

• Mika Kallio will replace him for the rest of the 2019 season.

• Zarco isn’t allowed to race or test for another team until the end of the year.

Johann Zarco has been removed from the MotoGP team for the remainder of the season.

The two-time Moto2 champion had requested to terminate his two-contract with the Austrian manufacturer a year early, which would see him leave at the end of the 2019 season.

Instead, Mika Kallio will return to ride for the factory team for the remainder of the season.

We weren’t told if Zarco insisted on leaving early or whether KTM told him to leave, but the team would surely want to move on quickly to develop the RC16 for the 2020 season. While the factory can still put in new parts for these last few rounds, they may see the rider as the stumbling block. Besides, KTM will also need to secure their secrets and will not let Zarco spill the beans when he joins another team. This is even more critical in case he becomes a test rider.

KTM noted that Zarco is still contractually tied to them until the end of 2019, hence he will not be able to race or test for another team.

Relationship between the two parties melted down after Zarco became more and more frustrated with riding the KTM RC16. His ex-teammate from Tech 3 Yamaha, Hafizh Syahrin also struggled with the KTM and was unceremoniously dumped for next season.