On January 23rd, The newspaper announced, in a rigorous scoop, that the star of the 2024 Moto2 World Championship, Fermín Aldeguer18 years old, from Murcia Pedro Acostatwo-time Moto3 and Moto2 world champion and, of course, like Carlos Alcarazhad just signed a contract with the Ducati factory to debut, in 2025, in MotoGP in one of the Borgo Panigale firm’s teams.
A few days ago, the world champion brand, hand in hand with Italian Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia confirmed the information from this newspaper, which means, together with the renewal for two more years of the current leader of Ducati Corse, the news that, as soon as the 2024 World Championship began, has begun to stir up the hornet’s nest in the pilot market, which promises be news, or rumor, day in and day out throughout the entire season.
Just one GP
The championship has only contested one grand prix, that of Qatar, won by Jorge Martín (Ducati)Saturday, and Bagnaia, on Sunday, but the noise about conversations, talks, speculations, ups and downs in all the teams, factories and MotoGP teams is a constant. One thing is clear, for now, the appearance of Aldeguer, who, in Losail (Doha), did not have his best night, already leaves one of the seven riders of the Italian factory without a motorcycle.
I say seven because Bagnaia has already renewed until 2026 and, together with the South African Brad Binder (KTM) and the Italian Luca Marini (Honda), the only three drivers who, at the moment, have a seat guaranteed for next season. The rest of the pilots have their future in the air, starting with the Catalan Marc Márquezeight-time world champion, whose decision will undoubtedly cause a domino effect unless, as happened last year, his announcement is the last of the season.
Marc Márquez visited his beloved Honda team in Qatar. / ALEX FARINELLI
The most champion of all is in search of a better future and, above all, an official motorcycle. The eldest of the Márquezs has seized, with skill, mischief and, also, with enormous determination and enthusiasm, the opportunity offered to him by the team of the late Fausto Gresini, who waited until the last day to offer him the 2023 Ducati that he wanted to. But, in 2025, he cannot continue in that ‘team’ if he wants to aspire, then yes, to the world title.
Ducati, en ‘pole’
That’s why the noise around MM93, never caused by it, is so intense. They say that Honda is waiting for him, again, in case he manages (which is quite difficult) to rebuild his prestige in seven months and offer him a motorcycle with which he can fight for the top-5. Ducati bosses, from Davide Tardozzi a Mauro Gassilisubstitute for the charming Paolo Ciabatti, they already consider him as a candidate to be Bagnaia’s teammate in 2025 in the official team. They contemplate that possibility and do not hide from recognizing it, no.
But there is more. Francesco GuidottiTeam Manager of the very powerful KTM team, has publicly confessed that “having Pedro Acosta and Marc would be something fantastic, especially at an image level, for KTM. It would be a great business, yes.” It is still curious that Pit Beirer, the Sports Director of KTM and a person of enormous influence on the Austrian brand, say that “Marc is a brilliant rider and, now, he has a very powerful bike. He will be competitive from now on! ”
“Having Pedro Acosta and Marc Márquez on the same team would be something fantastic for KTM, especially at an image level. It would be a great business, yes.”
There are those who think that if Márquez stars in the start of the season that many sense, all the doors will open for him, all of them. Why? Because in the broadest sense of any of these variables, personality, charisma, image, competitiveness and results, no one offers more and better than the boy from Cervera (Lleida). So it is very likely that no one will lift a finger, especially Ducati, Aprilia and Honda, until they know what the best rider of all time is capable of.
Of course, it seems that there is already a sentence thrown into the air in this curious hornet’s nest of the rider market: Jorge Martín will not race, in 2025, in the Ducati ‘satellite’ team, the Prima Pramac, with which he won the runner-up position in the “Martín’s time at Prima Pramac, in our team, is running out,” he just declared. Gino Borsoi, Sports Director of the Italian team. “We have been together for four years and his next step is to ride an official motorcycle, he deserves it.”
Jorge Martín is looking for an official motorcycle for 2025. / ALEJANDRO CERESUELA
Martín, they say, has already informed the Borgo Panigale firm that they either make him Bagnaia’s partner and access the authentic official ‘Desmosedici’ or he will change teams and brands. There are those who see him, through the work and grace of his friend Aleix Espargaró, in the Aprilia team on the motorcycle Maverick Vinales.
Without forgetting, of course, that courage, bravery and the ability to take risks of ‘Martinator’ enthuses, among others, Alberto Puig, Team Manager of the Honda team, which has Joan Mir hanging by a thread. Puig has the feeling that, in the immediate future, he will need Mir’s replacement to be a more daring driver, in the purest ‘Márquez style’, capable of adding what the Honda would lack, in 2025, to return to be ahead: not fear getting hurt.
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2024-03-20 22:25:53
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