Ducati will only provide one current motorcycle in addition to the factory team – This will be the VR46 – Cost reduction is a major topic at Ducati
The Pramac team has withdrawn the exit clause from the Ducati contract and will switch to Yamaha from the coming MotoGP season. This was a further step, as the Italian manufacturer wants to reduce its financial investment in the medium term
From 2025, there will only be six Desmosedici in the field. The factory team with Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez will have the latest material at its disposal. However, there will only be one GP25 for a satellite team.
“We want to bring three official bikes to the track and three from last year,” confirmed Ducati’s Head of Motorsport Gigi Dall’Igna to Sky Italy. “That is the goal.” This third bike will go to VR46.
Valentino Rossi’s team has not yet announced the riders for next year. Whether Fermin Aldeguer will ride the GP25 in the VR46 team or the GP24 in the Gresini team is still open.
It is nevertheless remarkable that Ducati will only be using three current motorcycles. This is because KTM, Aprilia, Yamaha and Honda are pursuing the strategy of equipping all four riders with the latest material.
Since the beginning of the year, cost reduction has been on Ducati’s agenda. As a result, only three riders – Bagnaia, Marquez and Aldeguer – will be under contract, with rookie Aldeguer earning the least.
“The global economic situation is forcing us to be very careful with our investments in racing,” confirmed Ducati Sporting Director Mauro Grassilli to the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com,
“We are trying to return to more sustainable figures in terms of team management and rider salaries,” said the Italian. Since 2012, Ducati has been part of the Volkswagen Group and assigned to Lamborghini within the Audi Group.
It is not known whether the cost reduction in the MotoGP project is related to Audi’s Formula 1 project. In any case, the third GP25 will go to the VR46 team next year.
Theoretically, VR46 could also get a second GP25, but the team would have to bear the additional costs. But that won’t happen, because with the GP24 the second bike is very competitive.
If a GP25 goes to VR46, Gresini could theoretically also get a GP25. But the family team would also have to bear the additional costs. This is also unrealistic, as Gresini is currently struggling to find a major main sponsor, even with Marc Marquez