Ducati satellite rider has a great chance of 2027 factory seat thanks to Jorge Martin leaving

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Jorge Martin opted to leave Ducati last season when he was overlooked for a factory seat. And by doing so, he’s inadvertently opened the door for another satellite rider.

Even fighting for the championship with Francesco Bagnaia – a battle he eventually won – wasn’t enough for Martin to earn a promotion from Pramac. Instead, the seat went to six-time world champion Marc Marquez.

Ducati knew Marquez’s GP23 was much slower, and yet he scored nearly 400 points for Gresini, delivering three Grand Prix wins. With all the data to hand, they opted for the veteran, and no one can argue with the results.

Rather than staying on satellite machinery, Martin defected to Aprilia. His 2025 season has been largely wrecked by injury, reducing optimism that he can dethrone Ducati next year.

Fermin Aldeguer has a clearer path to Ducati factory ride than Jorge Martin ever did

Had Martin stayed on a Ducati bike, he’d arguably be better-placed for a 2027 factory seat. Francesco Bagnaia’s dismal season has made his future a ‘wide-open question’, according to The Race.

And even if Bagnaia stays, Marquez is in the final stages of his career at 32. He’s likely to sign another Ducati deal but ‘a romantic return to a resurgent Honda’ for the last chapter shouldn’t be ruled out.

Martin would have been next in the line, but after he jumped ship, Fermin Aldeguer is the outstanding candidate. Aldeguer’s Ducati deal runs until the end of next year but includes options for 2027 and 2028.

He won’t face the same ‘roadblocks’ as Martin as he looks to jump up from Gresini. In fact, MotoGP’s newest race winner has a ‘pretty clear path to the red bike’.

Where Ducati stand on Alex Marquez joining the factory team

Aldeguer is currently the lowest-ranking of the four Ducati satellite riders, but crucially he’s the youngest, and the consensus is that he has the highest ceiling.

The Race’s report adds that Gresini teammate Alex Marquez and the VR46 duo of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio aren’t seen as ‘realistic future factory team riders’.

One could argue that the younger Marquez brother deserves to be in the conversation after winning two Grands Prix and a Sprint this year. He’s now almost certain to finish runner-up in the championship.

Previously, Alex Marquez’s manager has talked up a possible Ducati move. He will ride a factory-spec bike next year, but that may be the extent of his rewards.