Marc Marquez “divisive”; Ducati CEO hints at Valentino Rossi skirmishes | MotoGP

Ducati’s CEO has admitted signing Marc Marquez is “divisive” in a nod towards his rivalry with Valentino Rossi.

Marquez will ride the official Ducati next season, alongside Pecco Bagnaia at the forefront of the Italian manufacturer’s MotoGP project.

He is synonymous, of course, for feuding with Italy’s favourite son, Rossi.

“Marquez’s choice is divisive,” Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali told Sky Italia.

“Much more in Italy than in the rest of the world due to his history, his way of riding and what happened in the past.

“What I read is that no one questions his talent, but several people have very specific opinions on his story.”

That story includes Rossi’s notorious accusation that Marquez assisted Jorge Lorenzo in winning the championship in 2015.

But, Ducati could not ignore the impressive season Marquez is currently having with Gresini on a year-old bike.

His assertion that he would not move to another Ducati satellite team, even with factory machinery, swung the manufacturer’s decision over their official 2025 line-up in his favour.

Jorge Martin missed out and has signed for Aprilia instead.

“It was a very difficult decision for us because we love Martin very much,” Domenicali said.

“In the end the choice was Marc or Jorge, who has been with us for a long time and is very strong.

“Time will tell whether this decision was right or not.”

2027 bike development a key factor

The decision to choose Marquez – who, next year, will be the second-oldest MotoGP rider – has prompted accusations that Ducati have ditched their philosophy to develop their own riders, such as Bagnaia.

Martin left for Aprilia, Enea Bastianini went to KTM, and the Pramac team fled to Yamaha in the wake of Marquez’s promotion to the red team.

Domenicali denies that Ducati are no longer focused on the future.

“For some time we have chosen to focus on young people like Pecco and bring them up,” he said.

“Then when they become talents and world champions the new ones who arrive struggle to find a place, so it was inevitable that we couldn’t keep everyone.

“It is also the result of the choice to focus on the development of the new bike, the one for 2027.

“Nobody talks about it but it needs to be done very well.

“So it is important to think about what we are doing today in this beautiful championship, next year, but also further ahead.

“I have heard that we no longer have the strategy of young people.

“I think this is denied by the facts – Fermin Aldeguer is one of the promising riders and will be with us next year.

“So not only are we not changing our strategy, but we want to reinforce it.”

Aldeguer is currently the only rookie set to be included in MotoGP next year.

He will join either VR46 or Gresini after signing a Ducati contract.