With their futures decided, the MotoGP title contenders will take off their masks this weekend at the Dutch GP. They all ride for Ducati, but Marc Márquez’s game of thrones has meant that only he and Pecco Bagnaia, the defending champion, remain within the family of the factory that sets the pace in the premier class. Jorge Martín and Enea Bastianini, the other two who are making championship predictions, now threaten to take the number one spot to Aprilia and KTM after deciding to change teams in spite of their anger.
The betrayal of those responsible for Bologna, who intended to keep them all until the eight-time world champion threatened them with an unexpected sit-in, gives incentives to both parties to prove to those who are still their bosses that they are wrong… or right. “The plan is over,” says Márquez, who confirms himself as the fox in the henhouse in Borgo Panigale. “Since last year, I was very clear about what my plan was, and it has turned out perfectly,” he adds. He wanted the best bike and the best team, just what he will have after convincing Gigi Dall’Igna and the rest of the brand managers to ride it with him, beyond the obvious benefits in terms of marketing.
The 93 believes that his definitive coup in Mugello could have been achieved thanks to his merits on the track: “It is where the most power is acquired, and I have achieved what I was looking for. I wasn’t interested in the others. Of course, poor thing, Jorge Martín deserved it, but in sport you have to be selfish.” The Catalan is well aware that Ducati has rejected a “great rider” like Martín and has said goodbye to two other good assets by betting on him, but he feels “calm” to now face the next challenges on the track. For now, he leaves the title for 2025 and says he is focusing on achieving more podiums and finally finding that first victory in more than two and a half years.
“It hurts, it’s frustrating, but it didn’t surprise me after so many years of trying,” says Jorge Martín, resigned and now more convinced of his move to Aprilia, where he will finally have the unequivocal status of project leader. “My goal was to be an official rider and have a team focused on me, and I finally fulfilled that dream. I saw that I was going to be happier somewhere else, and I’m going to a place where they really want me,” he adds. The Pramac native from Madrid, runner-up in 2023 and leader of the championship in 2024, is relieved to be able to focus, at last, on giving it gas and nothing else. From the Ducati leadership they have assured him that there will be no difference in treatment and he will be able to fight on equal terms until the last day, although they also made him understand recently that the red seat was his.
Bagnaia, two-time reigning champion of the category, focuses on himself and faces the new challenge with temperance. “This world is not fair and Jorge deserved it a lot, but if they have decided this it will be because they think it is the most appropriate thing to do,” he points out, completely disassociating himself from the decision. After welcoming Márquez with a handshake and a knowing smile, he returns to thinking about defending his title. He also believes that Martín now has one more boost in the tight battle.
The legendary Assen circuit will be the scene of the resumption of the championship this weekend, with the disgruntled leader starting with an 18-point lead over Bagnaia and 35 over Márquez. Bastianini, fourth in the standings, is further behind the leader, 57 points behind, although he too has a free mind and is eager to show why he has occupied the most coveted seat on the grid for the last two years. In addition to losing two of the fastest riders in the championship, the Bolognese are seeing Marco Bezzecchi, another of his outstanding students and third in the 2023 World Championship, also opt to change sides to reinforce Aprilia, the neighbouring factory. Who will remain in the Ducati family is Álex Márquez, about to renew for another year with Gresini.
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