What Ducati thinks Marc Marquez will bring to the factory MotoGP team in 2025
What does Ducati expect from Marquez next year?
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi believes Marc Marquez will “bring the level of the team really high” when he joins the factory MotoGP squad in 2025.
Marquez’s promotion to the works Ducati outfit next year was the biggest bombshell of the 2025 rider market, after the eight-time world champion shunned a factory bike at Pramac.
Facing the threat of losing Marquez to a rival manufacturer - with the Spaniard fielding an offer from KTM - Ducati made a U-turn on its decision to promote Jorge Martin.
This forced the 2023 championship runner-up and current points leader to sign for Aprilia, while Pramac will join forces with Yamaha for 2025.
Having now won three times on the Gresini-run GP23 this season, there is little doubt that Marquez will be competitive in 2025 as a factory rider.
Tardozzi believes Marquez will raise the level of Ducati’s factory team and also bring out a higher competitiveness from reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia.
“I think that Marc will bring the level of the team really high,” Tardozzi told the MotoGP world feed last month.
“Because having competition inside the team - nice competition - that mean the riders must collaborate inside the team during the practice, while we know that when they are on the tarmac it’s up to them to show who is the best one or who can win.
“We will not stop anybody on their performance, like we are not doing now.
“But anyway, I think Marc will keep the level of the team very high and will help also Pecco to keep his competitiveness very high.”
Ducati is guaranteed to win the riders’ title this year, with four of its runners still in mathematical contention.
However, with Marquez 81 points adrift and Enea Bastianini 79 behind Martin, the title race is now a two-horse battle between Bagnaia and Martin.
Just 10 points splits Bagnaia and Martin heading into next weekend's Australian GP, while it was reported on Thursday that Ducati has now ceased development of its GP24 to ensure a level playing field.
