The Ducati leadership met this Friday in Bologna to make the final decision on which rider will accompany Pecco Bagnaia in the official factory line-up next season, and finally the Italian Enea Bastianini is chosen.
During the last Italian Grand Prix, at the end of May, the house of Borgo Panigale , after ruling out Jack Miller, reduced to two the drivers who aspired to the position, the Spanish Jorge Martín and Bastianini himself, who after starring in an explosive start season, with three victories, he had placed himself as a clear contender for the position.
“I am very happy to be able to wear the colors of the official Ducati team from next year,” said Enea after the news became official.
“It was my dream and now it has come true. In these two years in MotoGP I have learned and grown a lot and I believe that together with the engineers and men of the Ducati Lenovo team I can only improve. I would like to thank Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide for having trusted me and giving me this incredible opportunity, but I also want to thank Nadia and the entire Gresini team for the great support I have received from them during this wonderful season together, I will try to close this 2022 in the best possible way, before facing my new adventure as an official Ducati rider with the utmost commitment and the right team spirit”.
After a brilliant debut year in 2021 with Pramac, with several pole positions and a victory included, Ducati had made the decision, at the beginning of the season, to promote Martín to the position in the official team, but the results of Bastianini, who in the initial stretch of the season achieved three victories (Qatar, Austin and Le Mans), has made the Bologna executives change their minds, tipping the scales in favor of the boy from Rimini .
Ducati, which had planned to make the announcement next Tuesday, has advanced its decision to end the situation of tension and uncertainty to which it had subjected both riders, free of charge, since the beginning of June, when it made public that it was not going to make a decision until the end of August, as it has been.
In addition to other factors that have been ruled out, such as the work on the development of the 2022 bike, or the introduction of sprint racing in 2023, a fate in which Martín could have an advantage over Bastianini, the marketing arguments have not had either. the weight that had been announced, and Ducati will line up two riders of the same nationality in 2023, while in the Pramac team, with two main Italian sponsors, a Frenchman, Johann Zarco, and a Spaniard will run.
At the contract level, Ducati has ensured that both Enea and Jorge will receive a very similar salary and will have exactly the same technical material, at least from the start in the first race of 2023.
“We are very happy to have Bastianini in the factory team,” said Gigi Dall’Igna , Ducati CEO.
“Enea is a very talented rider who has matured a lot in these two years with Ducati. He has been able to grow quickly, scoring two podium finishes in his debut year in MotoGP and then taking three wins this year with the Gresini team. We are convinced that next year, as an official driver, you will be able to go one step further and be among the protagonists in every race. However, it has not been an easy choice, because both Enea and Jorge Martín are two very fast young riders, and precisely for this reason we wanted to continue guaranteeing the same material and technical support for both. We are sure that both of them will be able to show all their great talent on the track”, he added.
In addition to the choice of Bastinini for the official team, Ducati confirms the renewal of Zarco with Pramac, something that was taken for granted but had yet to become official. In this way, the eight bikes that the Italian house will present in 2023 are definitely assigned, joining the official team and Pramac, the two Gresini Rancia riders, Fabio Di Giannantonio and the recently signed Alex Márquez, and those of the VR46, Luca Marini , who will be in his third year in the premier class, and Marco Bezzecchi, who will be in his second year in MotoGP.
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