Jorge Lorenzo: Ducati ‘has all the power’ regrading 2025 rider line-up
Jorge Martin could be lining up alongside Francesco Bagnaia in 2025, but Jorge Lorenzo says Ducati’s star-studded line-up gives them plenty of options.
If Jorge Martin can produce another MotoGP title challenge in 2024 or even better, win the championship, a step up to the factory team could be on the cards.
But Ducati have the likes of Marc and Alex Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio and current factory rider Enea Bastianini who will also want to get their hands on that seat.
Martin is arguably the favourite at this very early juncture to join Bagnaia, who has re-signed for another two years, but Jorge Lorenzo believes the Italian brand will want to see Martin dominate races in order to make their decision easy.
“Ducati has all the power here because they have seven or eight riders who are very competitive,” Lorenzo told MotoGP.com. “And they have signed Aldeguer.
“The power is [in the hands of] Ducati. The speed and talent they have between five or six riders is very equal, so they have many options.
“Jorge will need to demonstrate that he can dominate the championship and races to be able to convince Ducati to be the favourite.
“If Ducati is not so clear and Jorge and his manager make demands to Ducati, maybe they will choose another rider.
“He needs to demonstrate that he is much faster than Pecco and the rest, then Ducati will have no doubts.”
Mistakes at the end of the season cost Martin the 2023 title, after he briefly led the championship following his sprint win in Mandalika.
Lorenzo, who claimed Martin was a bit ‘too emotional’ during the title fight, says remaining calm is something the Spaniard must work on this season.
Lorenzo added: “He made a step forward from 2022 to 2023. He prepared himself much more to be stronger and he worked a lot in the pre-season last year.
“He demonstrated on the track that he was much more consistent and didn’t have these ups and downs like the first two years in MotoGP. He was the runner-up and fought until the last race for the championship.
“I think he couldn’t get it because of experience and maybe because he was so emotional, too hot or a little bit over-confident; for example in the Indonesian grand prix when he crashed with three seconds of advantage.
“In some circumstances he still needs to find a way to stay calmer and not be so hot. One little mistake can cost you many points and then you lose the championship.
“If he can manage this situation he can be very dangerous to Pecco this year and for the rest of his rivals.”
