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 that 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 recognition of the work we are doing, as well as the fact that Ducati is currently the best bike in MotoGP,’ declared Ducati Corse’s sports director, Paolo Ciabatti, in an interview with the GPOne website.
‘Since we have not yet defined the riders for 2025, I would say without any problem 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 pre-pandemic period when a rider like Marc had a super-millionaire contract,’ added the executive.
If this possibility materializes, some of the young riders in Ducati’s ranks may choose different paths.
‘Claro, es un riesgo que tenemos muy presente. Pienso, por ejemplo, en el nombre de Martín. Un talento como él, en caso de no estar en el equipo oficial, podría despertar sin duda el interés de otras fábricas, pero no es solo él. Cuando elegimos a Jorge es porque estábamos convencidos de su valor y pensábamos que podría convertirse en campeón del mundo. Este año no lo logró, pero estuvo muy cerca. No me gusta escuchar a algunas personas decir que Ducati no quiere que Martín gane. Si Ducati no quisiera que Martín luchara por el título mundial, no le habría dado las mismas opciones que tiene Bagnaia’, concluyó Ciabatti.
