Marc Marquez confirms why he rejected initial Ducati contract clause

Marc Marquez has shed light on why he didn’t accept an initial contract clause from Ducati.

Marquez will move from Gresini to the factory Ducati team next year.

Pramac’s Jorge Martin will feature for Aprilia in the 2025 MotoGP rider line-up as a result.

But Ducati initially offered Martin the coveted factory seat. But it came with a contractual clause: if Marquez wins this year’s championship, he is automatically promoted to the official team at Martin’s expense.

Martin accepted those terms but Marquez did not.

Why?

“It's simple,” he explained to AS.

“One reason, and the main one, is that, if you have to earn it on the track, you have to have the same weapons.

“And now I don't have them.”

Marquez was referring to the year-old Ducati that he is currently riding for Gresini.

Martin, and title rivals Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini, have latest-spec machinery.

“But it's no excuse,” Marquez said.

“I'm showing that I can be competitive.

“Another thing is that I was very clear that I was not going to change from one satellite team to another.

“And the third point, athletes not only have sports contracts but there are others with sponsors who have followed me throughout my career and a multinational closes in September for the next two years and cannot wait. It was unfeasible.”

Marquez made it very clear that switching to Pramac (who could have delivered his desire of a GP25) was not acceptable, an unexpected stance which essentially forced Ducati to U-turn on their original decision to give Martin the official bike next year.

The rest of this year’s title fight (which is currently led by Martin) will now play out with the subplot of Martin moving to Aprilia, and Marquez moving to the factory Ducati team, in 2025.