Ducati made ‘strange’ Jorge Martin decision for 2025 MotoGP launch video

Add as preferred source on Google

Ducati launched the Marc Marquez era on Monday when they pulled the covers off their 2025 bike. But some would frame it instead as the post-Jorge Martin era.

After all, Martin is the reigning world champion. He defeated factory rider Francesco Bagnaia by 10 points in last year’s title battle.

And yet, in the midst of Martin’s fight with Bagnaia, Luigi Dall’Igna and co. opted to sign Marquez instead. Thus his gamble to leave Honda had paid off.

The six-time premier-class champion viewed his stop at Gresini as a route to Ducati. He rode a 2023-spec bike last year, winning three Grands Prix and one Sprint to finish an impressive third in the championship.

Marquez likened himself to Lewis Hamilton in that his name carries weight, even after a five-year title drought following his 2020 injury. Ducati would have hoped to keep Martin in their stable, but he decided to leave after the snub.

Aprilia were able to offer him a factory deal, so he’ll partner Marco Bezzecchi at Noale this year. Though he’s not expected to challenge immediately, Martin believes he can win the title in 2026, ending Ducati’s recent dominance.

Ducati ‘barely’ included Jorge Martin in ‘celebration video’ for 2024 MotoGP season

During Ducati’s 2025 launch event, they looked back on the success of last year. For the third year in a row, they swept the three championships.

Martin won the riders’ title, while Ducati took the teams’ crown, which inevitably meant they won the constructors’ too. However, the Madrid-born racer hardly featured in the recap.

Speaking on the Paddock Pass YouTube channel, journalist Adam Wheeler noted this ‘strange’ editorial decision. Dall’Igna admitted Martin’s triumph was ‘complicated’ for sponsors, the main beneficiaries of pre-season launches.

Perhaps Ducati are trying to shift the narrative. They view the Marquez/Martin debate as a thing of the past, and want to look to the future instead.

“They had a celebration video of last year,” Wheeler explained. “Jorge Martin was barely in it, which is strange considering that was the bike that still won – the genesis of which is still on the stage.”

Jorge Martin’s intriguing verdict on Francesco Bagnaia vs Marc Marquez

Martin is a big fan of Aprilia’s front-end, having tested the bike at the post-season event in Barcelona last year. He says he ‘never’ had that level of feedback at Ducati.

Aprilia and their new technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini will be delighted by that revelation. But they’ll also be asking him where the bike is lacking relative to the dominant Desmosedici.

Intriguingly, Martin said he fears Bezzecchi most this year given that the Italian will be his first reference point. By giving that answer, he refused to predict whether Bagnaia or Marquez was more likely to take his crown.

The feeling at Aprilia is that any victories this year will be a bonus. 2025 is about laying the foundations for a concerted title challenge next season, or perhaps in the new ruleset.