Rivals scrap for his ‘25 Ducati seat but Enea Bastianini bullish at Qatar MotoGP

The 2025 factory Ducati seat might be the most coveted in the silly season frenzy which is already beginning.

Ducati have signed Francesco Bagnaia to a longer-term deal to remove speculation about his future, but his teammate for next season remains a hot topic.

Pramac’s Jorge Martin insists he will quit Ducati unless he gets the nod, while Marc Marquez may be promoted if his Gresini adventure begins well.

But current incumbent Enea Bastianini is ready to offer a reminder of his talents.

His debut season in red was ruined by a serious shoulder injury at the opening round a year ago.

An anticipated title challenge was never possible but Bastianini did rebound to win the Malaysian MotoGP at the end of 2023.

Ahead of this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP, the season-opening round, Bastianini said: "Finally, we're back on track for the first race of the season, and I'm thrilled to start in Qatar, where I secured my first MotoGP victory in 2022.

“In the last pre-season tests at Lusail, we were fast and competitive, so the conditions are favourable for a strong performance.

“However, the race weekend conditions will differ from testing, so we need to stay grounded.

“We'll work hard from the first round to kick off this 2024 season on the right note."

Bastianini, in 2022, won the second-most amount of races behind Bagnaia, while a Gresini Ducati rider.

After a year to forget he is determined to return to the title fight and clarify his 2025 future.

His pace in Qatar is already hinted at. He was second-fastest on Day 2 of the preseason test behind Bagnaia. And third-fastest on Day 3, bettered only by Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

Teammate Bagnaia, champion in each of the past two seasons, said: "I'm excited to start my fourth season with the Ducati Lenovo Team! “We're kicking off in Qatar on a track that I like and where we've had some good results in the past.

“During testing, we were competitive both in race pace and time attack.

“I managed to set a great time, but the conditions were also right.

“The race will be different: I expect many fast riders, and the competition will be intense.

“Nevertheless, we're prepared, and I can't wait to hit the track on Friday afternoon."