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Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini, are not only three of the four riders occupying the top four places in the World Riders' Championship after the French Grand Prix along with Francesco Bagnaia, but also, and above all, the three candidates for the role of Pecco's teammate in the official Ducati team in 2025. A poker of aces that the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer will find difficult to maintain even in the coming season, in which the only major certainty of the men in Red is represented by the Italian champion, under contract until 2026.
Designating the second rider for the factory team will not be easy for Gigi Dall'Igna and Ducati, who are perfectly aware that their choice could induce one or more of the excluded riders to head towards the enemy. That is why Jorge Lorenzo is convinced that the Bologna-based manufacturer has only one way to retain three of its four top riders, and he explained his theory from the studios of DAZN Spain.
"Ducati would like to keep all four of them. The ideal for them would be to dress all four in Red, but it is impossible because of the regulations, so they have to choose one. I think they will be able to keep three, while one will leave. I think Jorge will leave if he doesn't wear Red. Also Bastianini will go if he gets demoted. The only one they could keep without making him wear Red is Marc Marquez, but with a bike from that year," Lorenzo explained.
"The most logical thing, to keep at least three of the four, would be to put Jorge Martin in Red and Marquez on a bike exactly the same as Bagnaia and Martin, but in Gresini with Red Bull, or in the Pramac team, if he stays with Ducati - continued the five-time world champion - That's my theory."
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Words corroborated by the declarations made by the champion of Cervera himself, who said at the end of the GP in Le Mans that he "does not care about brand or color, but having the latest evolution of the bike." It is then hard to believe that Ducati wants to risk letting Martin get away with the number one in his pocket, considering the current world championship leader's chances of getting his hands on the title at the end of the season.
Regarding the world championship battle, the Majorcan then commented on the current state of Martin, Bagnaia and Marquez's form. The three main contenders for the 2024 title. "Martin has a lot of talent and speed, and he achieves this speed faster than the others. He warms up the tires very quickly, is a poleman, makes good starts and does good races. He is the best in Sprints and in races he has a very similar form to Bagnaia. He is also very balanced this year," Lorenzo noted.
Then reviewing the Pramac team rider's two great rivals, Jorge added, "Bagnaia is a champion, a two-time world champion, he knows what it means to win a championship and he has that calm and serenity that comes with it. He is also fast, a little less explosive than Martin, but equally fast, and especially in the race he is very consistent and regular, he tends to make few mistakes. And Marc, what about Marc? He is an eight-time World Champion. He has the disadvantage of knowing less about Ducati than the other two riders, and he has a GP23 that, in theory, is inferior. Plus, he suffered an injury in Jerez in 2020 that affected him both physically and psychologically, but he is a true phenomenon and will always be there."
