Over much of 2023, as the Marc Marquez-to-Gresini story gathered steam and eventually became reality, the manufacturer providing his MotoGP bike for this year – Ducati – was generally regarded as somewhere between reluctant and uninvolved.
While there were rumblings of the brand making an approach directly to Marquez to place him on a factory-supported bike, the Gresini deal was ultimately portrayed as a privateer outfit making its own decision as to its rider line-up – with Ducati’s general blessing, yes, but with it hardly being a motivator or a driving force.
And this, logic dictated, would mean that even if Marquez shows well on a privateer Ducati he would not be a first-priority target for the works team.
Ultimately, a lot of the things behind that line of thinking remain true. Marquez remains a phenomenal rider, but Ducati can and does win without him. Pecco Bagnaia is continuing to repay the brand’s faith as its focal point. And, financially, rival manufacturers should be in a position to be able/willing to make much more financially competitive proposals to Marquez – who surely will want to somewhat offset the money he gave up in 2024 by tearing up his Honda contract.
All of that is still valid. But the spectre of Marquez in Ducati red – while far from a guarantee of a straightforward outcome – just keeps making more and more sense.
