What if Marc Marquez went to Pramac Ducati?
So is the most logical move for Marc Marquez to join Pramac Ducati?
Johann Zarco’s exit to LCR Honda, and Marco Bezzecchi’s hesitancy to swap VR46 for Pramac, have left an unexpected vacancy at the Ducati satellite team who use latest-spec Desmosedici.
This was presumably unforeseen by Ducati, who might have reasonably expected riders to be scrapping among themselves for the privilege of using MotoGP’s best bike.
But Zarco and, seemingly, Bezzecchi are walking away from it.
Marquez, meanwhile, is desperate for a better bike. His season has effectively ended already, the Austrian MotoGP was his first completed grand prix at the 10th attempt in a year blighted by crashes and injuries.
The story throughout Austria was Marquez looking longingly at KTM, whose motorsport director Pit Beirer admitted they had already tried and failed to lure him for next year.
He is clearly considering his options, even for 2025 when he becomes a free agent, in order to jump on a machine that can power him to a seventh premier class title.
Honda won’t keep Marquez if he truly wants to escape the final year of his big-money deal, and now he has the perfect reason to look for the exit door.
The chance to jump on a Ducati (and the latest-spec Ducati, at that).
The competency of European manufacturers compared to the Japanese has not been lost on Marquez, who has regularly spoken about this chasm when explaining Honda’s drop-off.
And who better for Ducati to lean on, in their bid to remain dominant, than the hugely-experienced six-time premier class champion?
Yes, he would have to swallow his pride and become a satellite rider rather than a factory priority, as Valentino Rossi had to do in 2021.
Ducati have always claimed, when asked about this fantasy link-up, that Marquez does not fit their philosophy.
They want younger riders who are promoted from within, a strategy which ended their winless run and resulted in Francesco Bagnaia winning their first title since 2007.
But who did they sign only last year?
Alex Marquez, who is older than every current Ducati rider except for Zarco.
Marc’s brother has spoken repeatedly about his personal rejuvenation since quitting Honda.
Admittedly Marc is three years older, at 30, than his younger brother Alex. And he also comes with a complex history of major injuries.
When Ducati previously shelled out huge wages for big-names like Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, it did not have the desired results.
But, with a latest-spec Desmosedici to fill next season, can the possibility of a Marquez-Ducati alliance really be ignored?
For now, it remains a dream. But it’s something we’d love to see become a reality.
