Pramac chief shares the ‘beastly’ reason Ducati snubbed Jorge Martin for 2025 MotoGP line-up

Add as preferred source on Google

Jorge Martin will take on a new adventure in MotoGP in 2025 after becoming the world champion with Ducati in 2024.

The Spaniard became the first independent team rider to win the championship in the MotoGP era last season as he took the title with Pramac, beating factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia by 10 points.

But for the 2025 season, both Martin and Pramac will part ways with Ducati. The former will make the move to Aprilia while the latter will enter their partnership with Yamaha, after feeling that Ducati favoured the VR46 team more

Martin was meant to take the second factory Ducati bike next to Bagnaia for 2025, but after Marc Marquez rejected a move to Pramac, the seat went to the six-time champion.

Six-time champion Marc Marquez’s ‘beastly pull’ is why Jorge Martin was snubbed by Ducati

Martin jumped at his chance to sign with Aprilia after he learned that Marquez would be on the move to the factory Ducati team from the satellite Gresini team.

Pramac rider performance director Fonsi Nieto has no ill feelings about Martin leaving Pramac for Aprilia, instead hailing his efforts for 2024 as the team finished second in the Teams’ Championship as he won the riders’ title.

Nieto says it was not an easy decision for Ducati to lose Martin, but speaking with Europa Press, he claims that Marquez has a ‘beastly pull’ that the team could not ignore.

“Ducati is currently in a moment of glory and they will continue fighting to win. But, of course, it has not been an easy decision for them to lose a rider like Jorge, world champion,” he said.

“But we’re talking about Marc Marquez, six-time world champion, with a beastly pull.” Nieto also admitted that “it may even be understandable that they choose Marc Marquez,” as he argued thay “Marc must always be counted on” because he is “one of the best riders in history.”

He added: “Since he set foot on a circuit in the World Championship, he has always been counted on for the title. It will be a nice fight between ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia and him, with the Ducatis, and I hope that Jorge is also up there fighting to win with them”.

Can Marc Marquez challenge for his seventh title in 2025?

Marquez finished third in the Riders’ Championship in 2024 behind champion Martin and 2025 teammate Bagnaia in his first season on a Ducati bike. The Spaniard won three races and grabbed nine podiums, but finished 116 points off the title.

Joining the factory Ducati team for 2025, Marquez has arguably the best possible chance to grab his seventh title in the premier class after suffering a difficult end to his spell with Honda.

The factory Ducati team have a seemingly unstoppable partnership this season in Marquez and Bagnaia – the former being a six-time champion and the latter having won 11 races last season and narrowly missing out on the title to Martin.

The duo will no doubt be challenging for the title next season, and Marquez will be looking to stamp his authority early doors.