Enea Bastianini has won the battle for the second seat in the factory Ducati Lenovo Team.
The leaders of Ducati Corse’s MotoGP project have now picked the Italian over his Spanish rival, Jorge Martin, for the seat alongside Pecco Bagnaia. Bastianini and Bagnaia will form the factory Ducati team for the next two seasons, through 2024.
Ducati had waited a long time to choose between Gresini Ducati’s Bastianini and Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin. In the end, Bastianini won out with better and more consistent results.
Bastianini is currently 6th in the MotoGP championship, with 118 points including three victories and four DNFs, while Martin is 9th, with 87 points, with two podiums and four DNFs. The fact that Bastianini is Italian will only have worked in his favor.
With Bastianini signed, that means nine of the ten factory MotoGP seats have been filled. We are now only awaiting confirmation (or otherwise) of Joan Mir at Repsol Honda to round out that chapter.
And with the factory Ducati line up announced, Pramac can now officially confirm their line up for 2023, which is almost certain to be Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco. Alex Marquez will take the seat vacated by Bastianini in Gresini Ducati.
“I am thrilled to be able to wear the colours of the official Ducati team starting next year. 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 I can only improve with the engineers and men of the Ducati Lenovo Team!” exclaimed Bastianini.
“I want to thank Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide for trusting me and giving me this incredible opportunity. Still, I also want to thank Nadia and the whole Gresini team for the great support I have received from them during this wonderful season together. I will try to close out this 2022 in the best possible way before tackling my new adventure as a factory Ducati rider with total commitment and the right team spirit.”
Source: Ducati Corse
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