This weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello has always been earmarked by Ducati management as the moment it wants to finalise its factory team line-up for 2025.
However, earlier this week it told Autosport that it would not make the official announcement on its decision at Mugello.
The race for the second factory team Ducati seat has become between championship leader Martin and six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez.
Martin was already passed over for the factory team seat in 2023 in favour of Enea Bastianini, after he won four races for Gresini in 2022, and didn’t get the promotion again for this year after finishing runner-up in the championship last season.
The Spaniard, who currently races for Pramac on a factory Ducati and leads the standings by 39 points, has always maintained that staying with the Italian marque for 2025 was dependent on getting a factory team seat.
Marquez’s arrival into the Ducati stable complicated management’s decision, with the Gresini rider scoring three grand prix podiums in just six races on the 2023-spec Desmosedici.
On top of that, the marketing value Marquez brings to Ducati far exceeds that of Martin.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
However, Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy is reporting that the decision has been made and Martin will ride in factory Ducati red next year alongside double world champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Martin is a sought-after rider on the market, with links to KTM recently emerging, which has forced Ducati into ensuring it does not lose the Spaniard – who has arguably been the cream of the field so far in 2024.
The next phase is convincing Marquez to race for Pramac on a factory bike, which in turn would likely prompt the satellite squad to renew its contract with the Italian manufacturer and not switch to Yamaha machinery in 2025.
The financial equation is such that Ducati likely can’t afford big factory contracts for both riders, but at Pramac Marquez would be able to keep his personal sponsors he would have otherwise lost at the factory squad.
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