Pendulum swings again in the battle to secure Pramac’s future
Latest update on the tug-of-war to sign up Pramac as a satellite team
There is a new twist in the fight between manufacturers to sign up Pramac.
The satellite team are negotiating to stay at Ducati or to join Yamaha.
“Compared to two weeks ago, there is a greater possibility that Paolo Campinoti's Prima Pramac team will continue its journey with Ducati,” Sky Italia reported from the French MotoGP paddock in Le Mans.
“Despite there being an important offer from Yamaha.”
Pramac’s current contract with Ducati includes a clause which allows them to automatically extend the partnership by two years.
They would keep access to a pair of factory-spec bikes by activating this clause.
But the financial rewards on the table from Yamaha are an alluring alternative.
Ahead of the French MotoGP, it was reported in Italy that Pramac intend to wait until 31 July (the final day where they contractually activate or ignore the clause) to decide.
Their decision will also have a massive impact on the 2025 MotoGP rider line-up.
Whether Pramac are running GP25 Ducatis or Yamahas is a big deal to the riders who may represent them.
The battle for the 2025 factory Ducati seat between Marc Marquez, Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin will take on added importance if Pramac are no longer with Ducati, because a Plan B will effectively be removed from the table.
Pramac staying with Ducati and running factory-spec bikes gives the Italian manufacturer some more wiggle room in the rider market.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
