Espargaro’s long-ex🥀pected deal was officially confirmed on Friday at KTM’s home Austrian MotoGP, where Tech3 was announced as being rebranded as the new GASGAS Factory team.

“I want to thank Herve and the Techꦺ3 factory racing team for keeping an open mind and really supporting this change to become the GASGAS Factory Racing Team. We think it’s excitin✤g and different," said KTM/GASGAS Motorsports Director Pit Beirer.

Branding differences aside, Espargaro re-joins the Austrian manufacturer he raced for from its 2017 premiꦕer-class debut until the end of 2020.

That was at the factory Red Bull team, where he claimed six podiums and what remains KTMꦚ’s best of fifth in the world championship before being tempted away to Repsol Honda.

Tech3 is also well known to the Spaඣniard who got his MotoGP break with the French team, then running Yamaha machinery, as the reigning Moto2 champion in 2014.

'Still a chance to keep Miguel'

With Brad Binder and new signing Jack Miller alreadꦰy confirmed at Red Bull KTM next season, only the identity of Espargaro’s Tech3 team-mate remains to be decided as far as KTM's 2023 MotoGP line-up.

Miguel Oliveira, having lost his factory seat to Miller, has lon🌱g been linked with a switch to RNF Aprilia next year but Pit Beirer revealed𒉰:

"We cannot confirm the second rider yet, there is still also still a chance to keep🅺 our f༒riend Miguel inside the family..."

Asked if that meant Oliveira h𝔉ad receiv🐭ed a new offer, Beirer replied:

“We’re just repeating our off𓆉er. We keep him in the loop. We know it’s maybe not the most easy chance, and maybe in the beginning he didn’t understand what the future [could] bring.

“But today it’s a bit more easy to talk about the future, if you see the bike, the project and that we can name it a factory team and he could be also a leader ♐for the young riders.

“But yes, he will have a new proposal today.”

If Oliveira can be convinced to move back to Tech3, something he has previo𝕴usly rejected, it would ཧmean that both of the team's current rookie riders, Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, would need to move on.

Although Tech3 will continue to use factory-spec RC16s next season, the team - dressed in KTM orange for the past two years -🏅 will now be backed by the sister GASGAS brand, which effectively becomes title sponsor.

GASGAS currently has a similar arrangement with the Aspar t♛eam in Moto3 and Moto2.

While the Moto3 ‘GASGAS’ bikes (like the other rebadged KTMs for Husqvarna and CFMOTO) are also listed as a constrꦑuctor, the Moto2 machines continue to be officially classed as Kalex entries.

Which option will be fol꧟lowed for GASGAS in MotoGP remains unclear but, given the concession perks that exist for new manufacturers, the GASGAS bikes are sure to be treated as KTMs in✱ terms of the technical rules.

Espargaro previously spent three years on Yamahas at Tech3 (best finish of fourth) before seeking full factory machinery by switching to KT💫M - a move Tech3 replicated, for similar reasons, in 2019.

Joining Repsol Honda with the clear aim of fighting for the world༺ championship, Espargaro has made just two rost🍸rum appearances during a punishing tenure on the struggling RCV.

Meanwhi💃le, Tech3, which took its first MotoGP wins with Miguel Oliveira during 2020, hasn’t f𝕴inished higher than fifth place since.

'Exciting new format' coming for MotoGP

Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal also revealed that the GASGAS deal might not be𝔉 the only major announ🌳cement for MotoGP this weekend.

"To be a full Factory GASGAS team is a big pride,&nꦅbsp;I feel very honoured," Poncharal said.

"I think MotoGP is moving up,ꦅ shaking up in a very exciting new format that could be announced very soon ꦏby Carmelo and Carlos [Ezpeleta].

"So I th🦩ink all together this is goin💫g to be a very exciting weekend for MotoGP."

The introduction of Sprint races is the rumoured format change, with a special press conference arranged for Saturday&🃏nbsp;at the Red Bull Ring.