Exclusive: Martin leaves Ducati, paving way for Marquez factory step
Ducati has made the decision to bet on Marc Marquez at all costs for its factory MotoGP team, which will force Jorge Martin to leave the manufacturer, Autosport has learned.
Between the Barcelona and Mugello races, Ducati informed Jorge Martin that he was the chosen one to be Francesco Bagnaia's team-mate in 2025 in the official Ducati team.
On the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, a senior factory executive welcomed the rider and they shook hands, thanking the championship leader for his patience.
Ducati was certain that it could convince Marc Marquez to ride for Pramac with identical material and support as the official riders.
But everything took a radical turn on Thursday when La Gazzetta dello Sport reported the news and Marquez closed the door to Ducati's wishes: “Pramac is not an option for me,” he said with an extremely serious look on his face.
This reaction was not expected by Ducati bosses who had been in contact with the rider during the weekend to look for alternatives.
Marquez told them that either he would go to the official team or to another factory.
Ducati panicked when it saw it risked losing the rider with the highest profile of the paddock by giving in to his demands: in 2025 he will be Bagnaia's team-mate.
After Marquez's harsh reaction on Thursday, Martin tried to maintain contact with Ducati officials, who gave him a long time to wait until this week.
The rider has understood that Ducati will not present him with a contract to join the official team and will take charge of the situation by accepting, in the short term, one of the various offers he has on the table, from KTM, Aprilia, Honda and even Pramac, if finally - as everything suggests - it separates from Ducati and becomes a partner of Yamaha.
There will also be no place for Enea Bastianini at Ducati.
The Italian rider, second on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix, has also taken the decision not to wait any longer and hopes to close the negotiations he has open with KTM, Aprilia and also Yamaha to ride with Pramac.
Update: Aprilia has since announced that Martin will join the Noale-based marque in 2025, with the news all but confirming that Marquez will step up to the factory Ducati team.
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