Davide Tardozzi explains why Ducati made ‘difficult decision’ to sign Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin

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Ducati chief Davide Tardozzi has explained how Ducati came to the conclusion of signing Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin during the 2024 MotoGP season.

The Borgo Panigale-based constructor had a difficult decision to make last season due to the emergence of Jorge Martin as a championship contender and Marc Marquez’s resurgence atop a Ducati following years ridden with injury.

In hindsight, Ducati’s decision to sign the 32-year-old proved to be right on the money, given Marquez’s dominance with the factory Ducati team that saw him with his seventh premier class title in 2025.

On the other hand, Martin’s season has been difficult to accept when considering that he hasn’t had an opportunity to put up a title defence due to the number of injuries he has been sidelined with during his maiden year with Aprilia.

READ MORE: Aprilia CEO expects a Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi ‘problem’ after what he’s seen in the garage

Luigi Dall’Igna made a decision on Marc Marquez after looking at his data at Gresini

Speaking to Speedweek, Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi recalled how Luigi Dall’Igna came to the conclusion that Marquez would be the best fit for the team despite the fact that Martin was leading the championship with satellite team Pramac Racing.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision to let Jorge Martin leave Ducati,” Tardozzi told journalists at the Grand Prix of Indonesia. “He was leading the championship at the time and had finished second the year before.

“We made this difficult decision because Gigi Dall’Igna always looked at Marc’s data. Marc has shown on several occasions that he was very fast in particularly difficult situations.

“Gigi talks to every Ducati rider after practice or races. So he always had meetings with Marc. This made him realise that Marc was capable of more than we saw on the racetrack at the time.

“That’s why he made the final decision. Of course, this was supported by Claudio Domenicali and Ducati, but it was Gigi’s decision. There came a point when he decided it would be Marc.”

Marquez reportedly gave Ducati an ultimatum during their discussions over the two Spanish riders. The Ant of Cervera was willing to leave the Italian constructor’s stable altogether if he was unsuccessful in securing a seat at the factory team for 2025.

READ MORE: Jorge Martin sees himself as the ‘improved’ version of one MotoGP legend who never won a title

Jorge Martin’s manager revealed how he reacted to the snub from Ducati

Martin ended up leaving Pramac for a factory ride at Aprilia at the end of the season, which also marked the end of Pramac’s two-decade-long partnership with the Italian constructor as they signed a new deal that would see Yamaha supply their bikes in 2025.

Ducati’s decision was made during the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Mugello, where Martin went on to finish just ahead of his rival Marquez in third place.

The Madrid-native was in control of the riders’ standings at that point, whilst his compatriot was 35 points behind in third.

Martin reacted with “calmness” to Ducati’s decision, which allowed him to focus fully on the rest of the season, which ended with the 27-year-old claiming his maiden MotoGP world title.

Given the stark contrast between Martin and Marquez’s current campaigns, it would be fascinating to see how differently things would have been if Ducati’s decision had swung in the favour of the 2024 world champion.

There has been one similarity, however, with both riders currently sidelined to broken collarbones that were sustained in the most recent rounds of racing. The dates of their returns to the grid are yet to be confirmed.