Francesco Bagnaia has already renewed his contract with Ducati in MotoGP until 2026, leaving the question of who will be his teammate. Enea Bastianini currently holds the seat but is at the end of his contract. He is second in the World Championship behind Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati), who is another strong candidate for the spot. Ricard Jové believes that the decision will be made in less than two months.
In the Dura la Vita podcast, the expert stated: ‘Who leads the championship? Martín. Who is second? Bastianini. Who is fighting for the official seat? Both of them. So, this is a demonstration of ‘here I am,’ and it’s beautiful because we know that from now until Mugello, the seats will be decided’.
Jové then explained why he thinks the question of the seat at Ducati will be settled by the Italian Grand Prix in early June: ‘The uncertainties are already cleared. The world champion has already renewed, and Fabio [Quartararo] has also done it. The key now is with Ducati. But I think, and common sense tells me, that within the Ducati structure of hiring, they have to take it slow and try to make it based on meritocracy to be fair. They have to do it soon because it’s clear that Jorge Martín has made a move and has cards up his sleeve. I think he will stay, and they will hire him for the factory team’.
The Spanish commentator excludes Marc Márquez from the equation, currently with Gresini: ‘For me, Marc is not in this game because I see him elsewhere’.