With Martin and Bagnaia engaged in a tight fight for the championship, for a few weeks there have been rumors that the former could join the official Ducati team next season.
Bastianini, after winning four races in 2022 with a one-year-old bike, was chosen in a ballot with Martin to replace Jack Miller in the Borgo Panigale manufacturer’s factory team for this year.
But the Italian has had a difficult year, missing eight Grands Prix in total due to two injuries, which severely limited his time to adapt to the Desmosedici GP23, before his victory at last weekend’s Malaysian GP.
During the Sepang weekend, Rossa sporting director Paolo Ciabatti told Motogp.com that Martin’s promotion is a possibility, despite Bastianini having a contract with the brand for 2024.
“As everyone knows, we confirmed Enea for the official team at the end of August,” Ciabatti said. “It is true that with Martin’s current level of performance it is a reality that we should take into consideration. Obviously no decision has been made, but let’s see. We cannot ignore this level of performance.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Bagnaia, who took third place in the Malaysian GP, believes Bastianini deserves a second chance in the factory Ducati team and believes Martin’s current situation in Pramac makes no sense to being changed.
“I already said on Thursday what I think,” Bagnaia said in Sepang when asked about the topic. “I believe that Enea deserves another chance for what happened during the season.”
“He never had the chance to understand this bike well and when he was starting to understand something he crashed again in Barcelona. So, for me, everyone needs another opportunity. And considering the results that Jorge is achieving in the team Pramac, which is an official team with different colours, I don’t see a reason for this change.”
“I think it’s better for Enea and also for the team that Enea stays in the same team. Absolutely, Jorge is doing an exceptional job, it’s fantastic what he’s doing. But I think Enea deserves another chance.”
Bastianini said during the Malaysian GP weekend that he did not feel pressured by the rumors about Martin, having made a step forward with the set-up of his Ducati, improving its corner entry, which ultimately allowed him to return to victory.
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