Ducati open the door to Jorge Martin replacing Enea Bastianini
Earlier this season Martin became a constant threat to reigning MotoGP champion, before beginning to take over as the title favourite.
A crash at Mandalika one day after claiming the series lead for the first time in his career set him back, but Martin is again coming on strong with just five races to go.
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The Pramac rider has outscored Bagnaia in the last three races, and in doing so has closed a 27 point deficit down to just 11.
Martin has won more sprint races than anyone and is catching Bagnaia in terms of most Grand Prix wins in 2023 - Bagnaia leads that head-to-head 6-4.
With a contract in his back pocket for next season, Martin has no pressure going into the final few rounds, however, a switch to the factory team has again picked up steam.
This was confirmed by Ducati themselves as Paolo Ciabatti told MotoGP.com that Bastianini’s place in the factory team is not 100% certain.
“As everyone knows, we confirmed Enea for the official team at the end of August,” began Ciabatti.
"It’s true with Martin’s current level of performance it’s a reality we should consider but no decision taken obviously, but let’s see. We cannot ignore this level of performance."
