What must Marc Márquez give up in order to sign with the official Ducati team?

When the first rumors began to emerge about Marc Márquez’s possible move to the official Ducati team next season, they quickly The Red Bull sponsorship thesis proved to be an insurmountable barrier to the success of the operation..

Marquez relied on his private sponsors, especially the Austrian energy drink house, when he decided to forgo money that would have brought him into the final year of his contract with Honda, the manufacturer he left to join Gresini in 2024. since last year.

The maneuver, which some called bold, others called reckless, also This meant leaving behind the factory structure and the usual work group and ending up in satellite training.in exchange for competition with the prototype with which Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin played for the title in 2023.

The sacrifice for Marquez, especially financial, was enormous, but the Spaniard is beginning to receive the first compensation: “I’m enjoying driving more and more and the results are starting to show,” he explained last Thursday at Le Mans.where on Saturday and Sunday, in two trademark displays of strength – he returned from 13th on the grid – he finished second in both the sprint and long race.

At 31, Marquez sees a real opportunity on his horizon to become an official Ducati rider, the most competitive motorcycle at the moment and, in his opinion, the one that gives the most guarantee of being able to become a champion again. After all, this is your ultimate goal.

Marc Marquez at an event for one of his sponsors

Photo: EG 0.0

However, this new step on the road map you’ve drawn in your head puts you at yet another crossroads that requires you to make a new decision. And, again, the economic aspect plays a determining role in choosing a path.

If we take into account the current global agreement between Ducati and Monster, which expires in 2025, the boy from Cervera (Lleida) will have to sever ties with Red Bull., the most loyal ally he had in his career. “Hopefully we get to that point. At this moment it will be possible to talk about everything,” Marquez agreed in a recent interview with the publication Motorsport.com.

The answer was as formal as it was ambiguous, given that the incompatibility is obvious when it comes to the coexistence of two directly competing brands. At Le Mans this weekend he was faced with this question, and this time he left less doubt: “In life, sometimes you have to make decisions that you don’t like or don’t want to make.. We are all here to win, and to do this we must always look for the best conditions. “We have to take everything into account.”

Clash of up to five sponsors

The alliance between the number 93 and the red buffalo brand will not be the only one that will have to be broken if Ducati chooses him as Bagnai’s new partner. If we look at the sponsors of the Borgo Panigale team and the Catalan team, up to four more brands will come into conflict.

The first is Samsung, an electronics manufacturer associated with the multiple champion and competing in this sector with Lenovo, Ducati’s main sponsor. Also AllianzThe insurance company, one of whose main claims at the image level is Marquez, is a direct competitor of Unipol. OakleyThe eyewear company that dresses the Gresini boy competes with the Carrera, which is advertised by drivers of the Bolognese manufacturer.

Finally we find Gallic star, a long-time sponsor of the Marquez brothers, which could lead to a conflict with Contadi Castaldi, which operates in the field of sparkling wines and aperitif drinks. Eventually, Marquez would have to give up virtually all of his current personal sponsors to be able to race for Ducati. or at least temporarily suspend relations with them.

Now open for racing with satellite team.

Maybe for these reasons, maybe for others, but the truth is that Marquez’s speech changed at Le Mans. Upon arrival in Jerez he was asked directly what he thought of Pramac and whether he might consider staying there in 2025. “Pramak is a good team, but it’s not official,” he replied decisively.

This Sunday, having crossed the line second, behind Martin, he softened his words even further, which suggests his priority next year is to install the latest Desmosedici specification with direct factory support outlined above. red jumpsuit: “Next year I want to try the newest evolution, any bike, any color, any brand.. Because you have more opportunities to fight for the world title.” sponsors.

Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team, 2011

Photo: Hazrin Job Men Shah

The precedents of Rossi and Lorenzo

This is not the first time that a well-deserved super world champion has come to the Italian team, previously this was done by Valentino Rossi (2011-2012) and Jorge Lorenzo (2017-2018), both from Yamaha.

At that time, Ducati was not the winning motorcycle that it is today, and its role in the competition was not of current importance. To sign Rossi, Ducati gave him carte blanche to retain all of his personal sponsors..

Lorenzo also had no major conflicts, since he came with a Monster cap that he could store in the Italian company, which at that time did not have an agreement with any canned drink brand. In 2017, the Bologna factory was still recovering from the ground abandoned by No. 46, and the arrival of Mallorca was the impetus to begin attracting new sponsors to ease the gradual departure of the tobacco manufacturer that had previously supported the team.

Watch: “OVER THE EARS” #100: Martin defeats Marquez in first round on Ducati | Motorsport.com PODCAST