On Thursday, Gazzetta dello Sport announced that Ducati has chosen Jorge Martin to join Francesco Bagnaia in their official team starting next season.
Recently, there have been a lot of discussions between Albert Valera, Martin’s agent, and Ducati. Valera will be at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, where Ducati aims to finalize their decision.
However, the contract between Martin and Ducati has not been signed yet. They might sign it this weekend, but certain things need to fall into place first.
One major factor is Marquez’s decision. If he agrees to join Pramac, it would extend his relationship with Ducati until at least 2026. Marquez and Martin have been competing for the same spot in Ducati’s official team.
Since the start of this season, Martin’s goal was to move up to Ducati’s official team. If he didn’t get a good offer from Ducati by Mugello, he planned to explore other opportunities. GasGas has shown interest in him recently.
If Martin does join another team, it will set off a series of changes in the MotoGP grid. The first question will be what Marquez will do. Ducati doesn’t want to lose him because of his speed and popularity.
Marquez has always said he wants to race for a factory team with the latest bike. Now, he might have to decide if joining Pramac and riding the latest Ducati is better than switching to a different team, like KTM or GasGas.
Another rider affected by Ducati’s decision is Bastianini. If Martin moves up to the factory team, Aprilia might be interested in signing Bastianini, especially since they want an Italian rider.
