Ducati shed light on Marc Marquez’s huge marketing impact

Marc Marquez’s arrival at Ducati is already paying off, on and off track.

While he has been busy developing the GP25 at the MotoGP Sepang test, he is boosting Ducati in terms of marketing too.

Ducati know that they have an eight-time world champion - and the most famous face in the sport today.

“We have a lot of satisfaction also from the communications point of view,” sporting director Mauro Grassilli told GPOne.

“It’s not that we didn’t have any before, but I think with Marc with are reaching an audience that before was maybe more difficult to reach.

“So, he is helping us from that point of view, as well.”

His factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia is also making inroads in these areas, the brand claims.

Bagnaia, despite his two titles, hasn’t yet hit his ceiling in terms of fame or popularity outside of hardcore MotoGP fans.

But Grassilli insists he is improving: “Without a doubt. Let’s remember that Pecco is a world champion.

“He is a character who is doing well on the track, but also off it. There is still some way to go, but he is doing so many off-track activities, with which he is helping to give visibility not only to Ducati as a company, but also to “Francesco Bagnaia as a rider, as a professional, and as a sportsman.”

Ducati will again welcome Lenovo as their title sponsor for the 2025 MotoGP season.

But not every factory team will possess a title sponsor. Notably, Honda’s association with Repsol has expired.

Ducati’s Grassilli has concerns.

“Ever since I started in this business at a somewhat higher level, the desire has always been to bring in partners from outside of the industry,” he said.

“So that we can speak through our sponsors to an audience other than the motorcycle enthusiasts.

“The fact that we see other teams that have no title sponsors, or very few sponsors from other sectors, if any, is a cause for concern.

“Because it means that we are talking to the same people, and that is not the goal of Ducati, and should not be the goal of the championship in particular.”