“Rumour I’ve heard” from paddock about Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi

Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi will receive factory Ducatis next season while remaining in their current teams, according to a rumour shared in Le Mans.

The 2025 MotoGP rider line-up hinges on Ducati’s decision of who to pair with Pecco Bagnaia in their official team.

Current teammate Enea Bastianini, Gresini’s Marquez and Pramac’s Jorge Martin are the contenders.

The other factor is the future of Pramac - they have negotiated a possible link-up with Yamaha for 2025 and have not yet finalised their decision of whether to quit Ducati.

If they do quit Ducati, and leave their pair of factory-spec machines behind, then two hugely coveted bikes could be distributed elsewhere.

“The rumour I’ve heard is that the Pramac to Yamaha thing is on,” broadcaster Gavin Emmett shared on TNT Sports from the French MotoGP. “Not that it’s going to happen, necessarily, but it’s on…

“You can keep Marco Bezzecchi in your fold by giving VR46 a factory bike.

“And give a factory bike to Gresini.

“Give year-old bikes to the others, and Pramac can go to Yamaha.

“Whether that will happen or not - or whether Pramac win the championship this year with Ducati - I don’t know!

“Maybe that’s been a part of the bargaining.

“‘We can’t give you two factory bikes anymore because Franco Morbidelli isn’t performing over the past couple of years, the second rider hasn’t necessarily brought it’.

“It’s all horse trading, at the moment.”

Pramac currently run Joge Martin and Morbidelli. Martin insists he will leave Pramac in 2025 either for the official team or a new manufacturer.

Marquez has repeatedly insisted he wants to upgrade from his year-old bike in 2025.

Sylvain Guintoli insists Marquez may stay if Gresini can offer him a better package: “Could be, if he gets a factory bike.

“But that would mean a shuffle in the bikes that Ducati are providing.

“It would mean they probably only give one to Pramac…”

Neil Hodgson explained his solution: “I’d put Jorge, who leads the championship, into the factory team.

“And give Marc a factory bike in the Gresini team.”

Emmett replied: “I’d do that, as well.

“The other thing… it means Marc won’t be on an Aprilia, it means Marc won’t be on a KTM.

“You don’t want him on a competitors’ bike!

“Of the three, Bastianini is the one that I might be happy to see on an Aprilia.”

The sticking point may be within the contracts of the satellite teams themselves.

Pramac reportedly can activate a clause in their current deal which mean they would stay with Ducati, and keep factory bikes, for the next two seasons.

They haven’t chosen to activate that clause yet, but if they do, it would theoretically prevent Gresini or VR46 receiving a factory bike.

So, in turn, it would force Marquez to rethink his plans for 2025…