Ducati justified in Marc Marquez choice after “expensive, impossible” situation

Ducati could not keep all of their star MotoGP riders and are justified in picking Marc Marquez, it is claimed.

Marquez will be promoted from Gresini into the factory Ducati team for 2025, significantly meaning he will profit from better machinery.

Although he has won grands prix on a year-old Desmosedici this season, Marquez will have identical equipment and support to Pecco Bagnaia next year when he dreams of winning another title.

But although Marquez’s future is secured, Ducati will lose Enea Bastianini to KTM, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi to Aprilia, and their Pramac satellite team to Yamaha.

But ex-MotoGP team boss Livio Suppo told MOW Mag there is logic to Ducati’s decision-making: "Of course.

“If you are in the situation of Ducati, in which you have the best bike and practically all the strongest riders to ride it, it becomes very difficult.

“Because it is practically impossible to maintain, even only on an economic level.

“Consider that they arrived at this situation starting with young guys who were cheap, but the more they win the more expensive they cost..

“You can't give millions of euros to four riders. So they had to make choices.

“It was normal that they would not go on forever like this.

“Evidently Gigi Dall’Igna preferred Martin to go to the competition, not Marquez.”

Ducati developed Martin, Bezzecchi and Bastianini into the premier class race winners and title contenders that they have become.

But the desire of each rider to benefit from factory support has led to their exit.

Choosing Marquez goes against Ducati’s philosophy of raising up-and-coming youngsters but his brilliant victories this season made it clear why he was selected.

The 2025 grid will be notably different because Ducati’s presence will reduce from eight bikes to six, as Pramac join Yamaha.

And there will be only three factory Ducatis (Bagnaia, Marquez and VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio) rather than the four that compete this year.