Jorge Martin and Ducati will go their separate ways after the 2024 season. Starting next season, the 26-year-old will be chasing trophies for Aprilia in MotoGP and will be competing with Ducati. Until then, however, the current season must be completed, in which Martin has the best chance of becoming world champion in the premier class with Pramac Ducati. Now, of course, the question arises as to whether the approach of the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale or that of Martin will change.
Jorge Martin: World Cup leader and still eliminated
Jorge Martin will of course be brutally disappointed. Not because he has to switch to Aprilia. He himself announced his departure from Ducati if he was not considered for the factory place and ultimately went through with it. But the fact that Ducati does not consider him the right man for the pit alongside Francesco Bagnaia will of course disappoint him greatly. After all, the ‘Martinator’ feels betrayed for the second time. The Desmo bosses decided against him for the 2023 season and promoted Enea Bastianini to the factory team instead. Martin was left behind and was at least consoled with a Ducati contract with Pramac.
Now he has already suffered his second defeat. This time the sporting omens spoke more clearly than two years ago and clearly in Martin’s favour. He is in outstanding form, finished the previous season as vice world champion behind Francesco Bagnaia and has even improved again this year. After seven Grands Prix he is the world championship leader in MotoGP. The battle for the factory place against He lost Marc Marquez on another front.
Is Ducati denying him new updates on the GP24?
The question now is how the latest events in the Ducati camp will affect the sporting situation in the short term. Will Jorge Martin continue to be equipped with the latest updates on the Desmosedici GP24 or will Marc Marquez now receive these concessions from Ducati? The same applies to Enea Bastianini, who is also likely to be leaving. Are Martin and Bastianini no longer considering the interests of their employer?
First of all, it should be mentioned that the technical packages of the MotoGP riders are precisely laid down in the contracts between them, the teams and the manufacturers. It is not known what the exact agreements look like. However, Pramac has been treated by Ducati as a second factory team for years and receives new parts at the same time as the factory team. This is unlikely to change during the course of the season. Jorge Martin therefore continues to have the same package as Francesco Bagnaia.
When MotoGP riders move to the competition, it is common for riders to no longer be entrusted with the most important information, as they will pass it on to the competition. However, Ducati does not think much of this, as it Jack Miller proved this in the 2022 season. “There is nothing worse than not getting updates or data being withheld from you,” the Australian explained at the time. Miller’s departure from Ducati and the subsequent KTM switch were also confirmed at the beginning of June. “But Ducati is 100 percent transparent with me and continues to provide me with updates,” Miller announced at the time. It can therefore be assumed that Ducati will not withhold any further developments from Jorge Martin either.
Now the question remains whether Jorge Martin will change his behavior. Up until now, the collaboration between him and his Ducati colleagues has always been objective and collegial. A collision with fellow brand member Bastianini in Mugello was quickly resolved. But this could change in the coming months. Martin certainly wants to prove to the Ducati bosses that they made the wrong choice and punish them by winning the MotoGP title. A title win for the private team Pramac would not be the end of the world, but for the proud Tifosi it would not be the same as a success for the red factory team.
In the battle for the World Championship with Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin will have to use his elbows to prevail. Even a promotion to the factory team would not have changed that. But the Pramac rider will certainly now have a certain gut feeling, a ‘now more than ever’ mentality.