P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ducati’s idea that maybe it could make Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin battle on track all season for the 2025 factory seat was never realistic
It was revealed during the Italian Grand Prix weekend that Ducati had initially considered a plan for Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez to compete against each other on track for the 2025 factory ride. The proposal was doomed to failure and was not officially confirmed by Ducati, but reported by various media outlets and paddock sources. The idea was for the winner between Marquez and Martin in the 2024 championship to secure the factory ride next to Pecco Bagnaia. This bold approach by Ducati was not unprecedented, as they had previously used such scenarios to determine internal promotions, as in the case of Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding in 2016. Ultimately, conflicting personal sponsorship agreements were what led to the abandonment of the Marquez/Martin scheme, highlighting the complexities of rider contracts in the MotoGP world.
