Moto GP
**”Ducati’s Bold Move: Marquez In, Martin and Bastianini Out – The High-Stakes Gamble for 2025″**
Gigi Dall’Igna: “We chose Marc Márquez for his undeniable talent”
Gigi Dall’Igna says goodbye to Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, praising Marc Márquez as an 'undeniable talent' ahead of his 2025 factory team signing.
In the end, Ducati's crucial decision regarding their factory MotoGP rider for 2025 favored Marc Marquez, whose undeniable skill has seamlessly adapted to their Desmosedici GP.
However, it had a cost.
Ducati is set to say goodbye to current world championship front-runner Jorge Martin and five-time race victor Enea Bastianini. Additionally, there is a possibility that the Pramac team could switch allegiance to Yamaha.
Despite the improbability of Ducati retaining all three riders—Martin, Marquez, and Bastianini—there was a reasonable expectation that they could keep two. The plan included pairing Martin with the current champion, Francesco Bagnaia, and advancing Marquez to a factory bike.
It appeared that Ducati's plan was revealed just before the Italian Grand Prix, with reports indicating that Martin would be given the official team position. Meanwhile, Marquez was expected to leave Gresini and take Martin's spot on the Pramac factory bike.
However, Ducati was reportedly taken aback when Marquez immediately dismissed the suggestion of moving to Pramac, stating it was 'not an option'.
The eight-time world champion hinted at the possibility of staying with Gresini if provided with a bike that meets factory specifications. However, he also alluded to a mysterious ‘third option’ involving a competing factory.
The events of the Mugello weekend are still not fully understood, but although Martin seemed set to join Bagnaia's team for 2025 on Thursday, he ultimately signed with Aprilia by Monday.
The announcement that Marquez will team up with Bagnaia was made official this Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, it is believed that Bastianini has already accepted a position with Tech3 KTM.
"Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall'Igna expressed his gratitude to Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martín for their contributions in recent years and extended his best wishes for their future endeavors."
This season, they've demonstrated exceptional performance, and we are confident they will contend for the title until the very end.
"Choosing Bagnaia's new partner for the Ducati Lenovo Team was challenging due to the number of highly skilled riders available."
Ultimately, we decided to go with the undeniably talented Marc Márquez.
"In only a handful of races, he has seamlessly adjusted to our Desmosedici GP, and his natural drive propels him to keep improving."
"Inside the team, we will feature two racers who collectively possess 11 World Championships. Their seasoned expertise and maturity will be crucial assets for our development."
Ducati now faces the challenge of balancing their support among the top three riders competing for the championship.
If Martin, who currently leads Bagnaia by 18 points, becomes the first-ever champion from a satellite team in the MotoGP era, he will carry the #1 plate with him to Aprilia next year.
At the same time, Marquez, who is trailing Martin by 35 points, is also in contention to snatch the championship from Bagnaia. However, this would still ensure that the title remains with Ducati and Marquez would join the factory team as the current titleholder.
Dall’Igna had earlier suggested that Marquez might secure the 2025 seat, noting that Ducati would consider the riders' backgrounds when deciding on their factory team lineup.
However, it seems Pramac has suffered the greatest setback, with Martin leaving and the highly promising Marquez openly rejecting their offer.
Pramac has an advantage with the option to extend their factory-spec Ducati agreement, and there are many successful racers like Joan Mir, Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins, and Miguel Oliveira who haven't yet signed contracts.
The events of the past week likely revitalized Yamaha's aspirations to persuade Pramac to join them as their satellite team in 2025.
Explore Further
Recent Updates
Recent Updates
Website Map
Crash.Net
©1999-2024 Crash Media Group
It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photographs, or illustrations, either in full or in part, in any manner.
Discover more from Automobilnews News - The first AI News Portal world wide
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.