Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin has revealed that he had signed a contract to race with Ducati back in 2023. However, the team broke the deal and signed Enea Bastianini instead.
The Spaniard moved up to MotoGP in 2021 with Pramac and spent four seasons with the then-satellite Ducati team. After his first two years, where he grabbed one win, eight podiums and nine pole positions, he was destined for a factory seat.
In fact, according to Martin, he had already signed a contract to race with Ducati in 2023 alongside Francesco Bagnaia, who won the title in 2022. However, he would not wear the factory red colours.
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Jorge Martin signed with Ducati for 2023, but they broke the contract to sign Enea Bastianini
Despite having a deal with Ducati, the Bologna Bullets opted to move on from Martin and sign Bastianini alongside Bagnaia. It left the Spaniard staying at Pramac for the next two years, where he would go on to finish second in 2023 before winning the title the following year.
Speaking on the Gypsy Tales Podcast, Martin admits he was ‘happy’ to stay with Pramac on a factory bike. However, he always wanted to show Ducati that he could race for them, and not getting that chance was tough to grasp.
“I really wanted, always, to prove [to] Ducati that I was the right one,” he said. “I still think I was the right one, I think so, but as I said that year, ‘If Ducati don’t want me, I will give my talent to somebody else.’
“My talent will be still there and I can ride another motorbike. Until I understood, this was stuff, because we were always on the edge.
“2022, it was, I already signed my contract for ‘23 on a factory ride. At some point, they told me, ‘OK, you are not going there. We don’t want you. We want another rider.’ It was crazy. I think nobody knows that.
“Then we signed another contract, OK, that’s fine. I accept the situation because I was happy in Pramac, with a factory bike. So at the end of the day, wasn’t that different.
“But then the year after, I was runner-up. I arrived into the last, let’s say, to the last races. I was going really close to win, and they want me back in the factory team,
“But they had another rider, a contract. I mean, the contract means nothing for the big factories. And they just play with us, the riders, for sure. We give 100%, but yeah, it’s tough for us to understand this.”
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How would Jorge Martin’s MotoGP career have gone if he had joined Ducati?
Ducati snubbed Jorge Martin again in 2025
2023 was not the only time that Martin lost out on a Ducati seat. He was gunning for a spot on the team for the 2025 season, as he was fighting for the title in 2024, which he eventually won.
However, he lost out again, as Ducati signed Marc Marquez to partner with Bagnaia. It prompted Martin to leave the Borgo Panigale outfit altogether.
Aprilia pounced and signed Martin, much to Massimo Rivola’s surprise, on a two-year-deal. Ducati found it ‘difficult’ losing Martin, but the Spaniard was not putting up with losing a factory seat any longer.
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