Ducati will be under even closer scrutiny in the upcoming season. The Italian brand starts in pole position and several of the riders in their ranks are considered top contenders for the title, such as two-time champion Pecco Bagnaia, runner-up Jorge Martín, and “rookie” Marc Márquez.
‘Marc Márquez is hungry for Ducati, I believe for the company it is a source of great pride to see a champion like Marc on top of a Desmosedici. For all of us, it is a recognition of the work we are doing, as well as the fact that Ducati is currently the best bike in MotoGP,’ stated Ducati Corse’s sporting director, Paolo Ciabatti, in an interview with the site GPOne.
‘Since we still do not have the pilots defined for 2025, I would say, without any problems, that Marc Márquez will be one of the candidates to move up to the official team. Obviously, there is an important aspect that we must take into account, which 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 materializes, some of the young riders from Ducati’s ranks may take different paths.
‘Of course, it is a risk that we are very aware of. I think, for example, of Martín’s name. A talent like him, in case he is not in the official team, could certainly attract the interest of other factories, but it is not only him. When we chose Jorge it was because we were convinced of his value and we thought he could become a world champion. He didn’t achieve it this year, but he was very close. I don’t like to hear from some people that Ducati does not want Martín to win. If Ducati did not want Martín to fight for the world title, it would not have given him the same options as Bagnaia’, Ciabatti concluded.
