The puzzle of the MotoGP rider market is putting the pieces together and after the renewal of Fabio Quartararo by Yamaha, announced last weekend, this Thursday KTM made official what had been known for days, that Jack Miller will complete the lineup of the Austrian factory until the end of 2024.
With this confirmation, the next movement points to a Miguel Oliveira who is still trying to understand if it is better for him to try to race with a satellite Ducati or try it with Aprilia in the RNF team, while the expected announcement of the signing of Joan Mir by Honda he has been making the rubber for weeks, some days it seems that it is signed and others that things cool down.
While agreements are being closed, one of the focuses of interest is to know which rider will accompany Pecco Bagnaia in the Ducati factory team in 2023. For now, the thing has been finalized between Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martín, one of the two will surely win a battle that will last until the end of the summer, since those responsible for Borgo Panigale have decided to give time to the Spaniard, who unlike the Italian has had to deal with a motorcycle that did not work at the beginning of the course, and with an injury that forced to go through the operating room last Monday.
This Wednesday, Ducati presented the World Ducati Week, which returns after four years of absence in mid-July. During the act, it was surprising to see Enea Bastianini posing next to Pecco Bagnaia dressed in the colors of the Bologna house, which has not raised a few suspicions on social networks.
The executives of the Italian brand have ensured the continuity of both drivers, with the best and identical material, for next year, now all that remains is to know in which team each one will race.
“We want to have Bastianini and Martín with us for the future, they are two guys who are part of our plans and we are working for it”, explained Claudio Domenicale, CEO of Ducati, in conversation with GPOne .
“I don’t think now is the time to make all the assessments, also because no one has had the opportunity to fully express themselves. Jorge has undergone surgery this week and his bike was not so prepared at the beginning, so we are going to give them some time”, added the man who decided, in 2018, not to renew Jorge Lorenzo 24 hours before he won at Mugello with a red motorcycle.
“In any case, they will both have exactly the same chances next year because they will have two totally identical bikes. From a sporting point of view they will start in the same way, from a technical point of view the same”, guarantees the head of the Bologna offices.
As Paolo Ciabatti, general director of the structure, has already said, that they will not manifest themselves until the end of August, Domenicali confirms these forecasts.
“It’s not about the next two races, we want to take a little more time”, and underlines a point that may be important when deciding the balance: “nationality will not have any weight, it will be a purely sporting assessment”, ditch the CEO.
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