Currrently there world of MotoGP is full of rumours regarding possible moves in the category, riders to be on the shortlist of some teams and what not, but at at the end of the day what matters is when the contract is signed, and, in the case of Ducati and Marc Márquez, the final decision to stay with the spaniard, Davide Tardozzi assured, was only made on sunday, after Mugello’s race. Also, there was no «arm wrestling» with Ducati.
When the media pointed to a pretty much closed deal between Ducati and Jorge Martín, with the #89 finally close to get to the so long desired place at the factory team, the Borgo Panigale team’s Team Manager said that there were a lot of media speculation, in words to Cycle World: ‘In reality we have always said that we will make an announcement once the decision was made; the rest are speculations spread from the media’.
Tardozzi pointed to the timing of when the decision was made, after many talks with those responsible for handling the rider’s future proposals to their career, saying exactly when all decisions were made: ‘Then of course we have spoken with the managers of the riders, made discussions and proposals, but till there is the signature it is not done. The final decision was taken on Sunday after the race, as Gigi Dall’Igna said’.
And apparently, given Márquez’s refusal on going to go with Pramac, Tardozzi explained the decision, again: ‘Ducati’s choice was made according to the results, the value of the riders, and the chances for the future, not according to what Marc said or didn’t say’.