Ducati will be under even tighter scrutiny in the season ahead. The italian brand is starting from pole position and several of its riders are tipped to be the main contenders for the title, such as two-time champion Pecco Bagnaia, runner-up Jorge Martin and “rookie” Marc Marquez.
‘Marc Marquez is hungry for Ducati, I think it’s a source of great pride for the company to see a champion like Marc on a Desmosedici. For all of us, it’s a recognition of the work we’re doing, as well as the fact that Ducati is currently the best bike in MotoGP’ said Ducati Corse sports director Paolo Ciabatti in an interview with the GPOne website.
‘Given that we haven’t yet defined the riders for 2025, I’d say without any problems that Marc Marquez will be one of the candidates to join the official team. Obviously, there is an important aspect that we will have to take into account and that is the economic aspect, we are no longer in the period before the pandemic, when a rider like Marc had a super millionaire contract’ added the manager.
If this possibility materialises, some of the youngsters on the Ducati team could follow other paths.
‘Of course, it’s a risk that we’re very aware of, I’m thinking, for example, of Martin’s name. A talent like him, if he’s not in the official team, could certainly arouse the interest of other factories, but it’s not just him. When we chose Jorge, it was because we were convinced of his value and thought he could become a world champion. He didn’t manage it this year, but he came very close. I don’t like hearing from some people that Ducati doesn’t want Martin to win. If Ducati didn’t want Martin to fight for the world title, they wouldn’t have given him the same options as Bagnaia’ Ciabatti concluded.