Official: Marc Marquez joins factory Ducati team for MotoGP 2025

It’s official. Marc Marquez will be Francesco Bagnaia’s team-mate in the factory Ducati squad for the 2025 and 2026 MotoGP seasons.

The agreement returns the eight-time world champion to front-line title contention after splitting from Repsol Honda to ride a year-old Gresini Ducati this season.

Although yet to win a race Marquez’s big gamble in leaving Honda has paid off handsomely, especially having now secured the most coveted seat on the premier-class grid.

Marquez had been in a duel with current Pramac Ducati title leader Jorge Martin for the coveted ride and, it was rumoured just days ago, was set to lose out to his younger countryman.

But the #93’s public rejection of a switch to factory machinery at Pramac appeared to prompt a shock U-turn by Ducati, while sending Martin into the arms of Aprilia.

Martin signed with the rival Italian factory at 5:30pm during Monday’s Mugello post-race test and, with Bagnaia’s current team-mate Enea Bastianini reported to be joining KTM via a Tech3 a seat, only the paperwork was left for a Marquez-Ducati deal.

Marquez - who won the MotoGP title in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 for Honda, before several years of arm injury misery began at Jerez 2020 - has taken three grand prix podiums for Gresini on the GP23.

Martin leads the points standings by a reduced 18 points from reigning double champion Bagnaia, with Marquez also firmly in the early title hunt in third place, 35 points from Martin.