Martin: Ducati “now regretting” not signing me for 2025 MotoGP seat

Jorge Martinbelieves Ducati must be regretting passing him over for a factory MotoGP seat after his triumph over Francesco Bagnaia in the 2024 title battle.

Martin was denied a promotion to Ducati’s official team for 2025 after four years at its satellite Pramac squad, with the Borgo Panigale marque instead opting for the star power of six-time premier class champion Marc Marquez.

Ducati originally wanted to give a shot to Martin following his impressive speed in previous years, but was forced to take a U-turn over Marquez’s refusal to join Pramac on a factory bike.

The decision was made relatively early in the season at the Italian Grand Prix in June, when Martin was still locked in a tight battle with Bagnaia in the championship.

Given how the events of 2024 played out, with the Spaniard winning the riders’ title on a satellite bike and beating Ducati’s own favourite Bagnaia, the 26-year-old thinks the Italian manufacturer now wishes it would have made a different choice with regard to its 2025 line-up.

“When all this was decided, I wasn’t a champion. It’s difficult to predict these things, but it’s clear that right now they’re probably regretting it,” he said.

“But you have to ask them that. In the end, I look out for myself, life takes you to places you don’t expect.”

While Ducati had good reason to put all its weight behind Bagnaia in his bid for a third consecutive title, it made sure that Martin had the same equipment at his disposal at Pramac.

Through a series of consistent performances, he was able to claim his first title in any class since his Moto3 success in 2018, despite winning just three grands prix and seven sprint races all year.

While admitting that Bagnaia had the advantage of being part of a better-funded factory team as opposed to a satellite structure, Martin hailed Ducati for keeping the fight fair between the pair in 2024.

“My equipment was the same as Pecco’s, I can’t deny that,” he said. “But the treatment at the factory is completely different.

“When you are at an official [team], you have everyone working for you, trying to make you the winner. I feel like there were twelve people on my team against two or three hundred. That made it more difficult.

“But I thank Ducati for not doing anything against us. Nobody expected it, everyone expected something strange to happen in the last few races, but they have been very noble and that is admirable.”

A clear hierarchy was seen within Ducati in 2024, with Martin and Bagnaia comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack for most of the season. Only on occasion were Enea Bastianini on the factory bike and Marquez on Gresini’s GP23 able to upset the status quo, winning five out of 20 grands prix between them.

Martin said racing against the trio in 2024 helped him raise his game in MotoGP and achieve his dream of winning the championship.

“Pecco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini, all three have made me a better rider, they have made me give my all,” he said.

“When I wasn’t one of them, it was the other who could have won, and I was always in that fight and that’s what made the difference.

“It was a very difficult title to win, we achieved a historic points record, which already tells you that the competitiveness was very high and having beaten them is incredible.”

Martin will switch to Aprilia in 2025 as part of an all-new line-up that also includes another Ducati exile in Marco Bezzecchi.