Jorge Martín won’t get to Ducati factory, it is official this time for good as he will leave Pramac at the end of the season to join Aprilia Racing. The italian manufacturer was somehow «forced» to make a decision, between the Martín and Marc Márquez, and Davide Tardozzi admitted the team was ‘at a crossroads’, and ended up then picking the former world champion.
The Ducati Team Manager recalled the ability that the #93 had to get used to the Desmosedici, speaking to Cycle World: ‘Marc’s ability to adapt very quickly to the bike and his performance since the beginning of the season’.
That, alongside Márquez’s decision not to accept a contract clause – that Martín had accepted – led Ducati to make a specific decision so it wouldn’t loose Márquez, despite the team tried to held Martín as much as it could, Tardozzi said: ‘Then, it’s clear that it’s a pity that we have had to say no to Jorge. We tried to keep both riders until it was no longer possible and we were at a crossroads’.
Still, the Team Manager assured that everyone’s focus in on Bagnaia, and that he is still the ‘priority’: ‘Of course, he is the racer with more titles on the grid, but this doesn’t distract our focus from the world champion. Pecco has our total trust, he has given the guidelines for the bike development in the last years so Pecco is our priority; he comes before everyone. Then we thought of giving him the best possible teammate’.
Martín had, according to rumours, accepted a contract clause with Ducati in which he could have lose his Ducati place in case Marc Márquez won the world championship this season, making him instead go to the factory but, on the other hand, Márquez didn’t accept that and «forced» the italian manufacturer to sign him instead, or lose him to another factory.