Pramac boss hints that Ducati’s Marc Marquez decision was key to their exit

The Pramac boss has dropped a major hint about why they quit Ducati - and it involves Marc Marquez.

The factory Ducati’s big decision to pick Gresini’s Marquez for their 2025 MotoGP rider line-up, instead of Pramac’s Jorge Martin or current incumbent Enea Bastianini, has dominated the past few rounds.

Now, at this weekend’s Dutch MotoGP, Pramac confirmed they will exit Ducati after 20 years and become a Yamaha satellite team next season.

“The thinking behind it is that, honestly, we are happy to join the project,” Pramac team principal Paolo Campinoti told TNT Sports.

“It could be seen as crazy to jump from the winning bike of the world champions to go to Yamaha.

“But they have a strong project. We believe that together we can bring Yamaha back to where they should stay.

“They are investing a lot of money, they are a fantastic company.

“They believe in the project of the young riders, which it seems Ducati does not believe anymore.

“So, in the end, it changed, a little bit, the perspective.”

The jibe about ‘young riders’ is a hint at Ducati’s decision to pick Marquez who, at 32 next year, will be the second-oldest rider on the grid.

The decision meant that Martin and Bastianini, talent which the Italian manufacturer had nurtured, were lost to Aprilia and Tech3 KTM respectively.

Pramac currently have the MotoGP championship leader in Martin, who is 15 points ahead of Pecco Bagnaia after the sprint race at Assen on Saturday.

Pramac knew they would definitely lose Martin next season but Marquez’s bold claim that the team were not an option for him in 2025, even though they could have offered him a factory bike, was an unexpected shock which prompted Ducati to offer him an official status.

So, next year Pramac would have been left with a less competitive line-up if they remained at Ducati.

Riding Yamahas instead, a new chapter awaits for Pramac.

For Ducati, the philosophy of backing young riders such as Bagnaia - which ended their 15-year winless run in 2022 - has ended due to the decision to select Marquez.

But will it pay off for them?