Ducati has secured Marc Márquez for their factory team in MotoGP for 2025 and 2026, partnering him with Francesco Bagnaia. Before the contract was announced, there was some speculation about his future, with other manufacturers also mentioned.
The eight-time world champion was asked by DAZN whether he considered going to Aprilia or KTM, or if he used the alleged interest from these teams to strengthen his negotiating position with Ducati. He replied:
– No. It was an approach that was option C, the third option. But why not? In the end, there are two other manufacturers – the two European ones – who are doing well and have shown a strong method of work and progress over the past few years, and they are winning races. So yes, it was a real and viable option.
Could Ducati have feared seeing him at Aprilia or KTM? Márquez believes this wasn’t the case: ‘I don’t think so, I don’t think so. Because if I were Ducati, I wouldn’t fear another brand regardless of the rider, because they know they have one of the fastest riders on the grid now, which is Pecco [Bagnaia] – the fastest. There are always two or three who are the fastest, and they have one of them. I wouldn’t be afraid if another rider left, because I also knew that if it wasn’t me, it was [Jorge] Martín, and Martín is very fast’.
