Why Ducati could have no choice but to sign Marc Marquez to factory team in 2025

Ducati could find themselves in a very difficult situation in 2024 as their main rider is back-to-back world champion Francesco Bagnaia.

The Italian fits the factory team perfectly in terms of talent needed, demeanour and ability to work with the team through any issues with a calm exterior.

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They also have Martin under contract, and as we saw last season, the Pramac rider was every bit a match for Bagnaia as he took the title fight down to the season-finale in Valencia.

Had Martin won the title, making sure the #1 plate remained on a factory bike could have led to the team replacing Enea Bastianini with the Spaniard. 

But that didn’t materialise which means it’s status quo for this season, however, the not-so-little name of Marc Marquez has entered the fold at Ducati. 

Although the eight-time world champion is not signed to a factory contract, Marquez is part of the Ducati family and could be a headache in more ways than one.

We’ve seen in recent years that factory riders can have large amounts of success in MotoGP.

None have turned that into a title win as of yet, but if there’s one rider who can it’s perhaps Marquez who looked back to his best during the Valencia post-season test.

Marquez will likely be a contender for plenty of race wins if not a title challenge in 2024, and given his reputation, it could be too much for Ducati to resist when it comes to their 2025 line-up.

Marquez remains the biggest name, biggest draw, and the most exciting rider to watch in MotoGP, not to mention the sponsorship opportunities he brings with him.

Marquez joining the official Ducati Lenovo team would potentially result in two very awkward situations for the Italian brand to deal with.

The first of those is upsetting Bagnaia, who would likely not want the pressure of having Marquez on identical machinery to him.

Especially after winning two titles on the trot, including their first since Casey Stoner in 2007. Bagnaia could also be a three-time world champion by the time 2025 starts. 

The second is risking losing Martin, who has already been snubbed once when it came to the 2023 Ducati seat.

After four wins in 2022, Ducati opted for Bastianini instead of Martin, and he again fell short on receiving a call up last season despite a stunning campaign. 

But Marquez is a unique rider, and if he shows that he’s still in his prime and can win a world title, especially on a year-old bike, then they might not have any choice but to pull the trigger and sign him ahead of some very talented riders.

One of those includes Marco Bezzecchi, who has also made it known that he wants to be a factory rider in 2025.