Ducati’s𒁃 concern ꦫabout “risk” led to their link-up with Marc Marquez, it has been suggested.

Marquez swapped Honda for Gresini Du💙cati a year ago and excelled in 2024 on a year-old m𒉰achine, mounting a title challenge which only fell away in the final rounds.

But he did enough to earn a call-up to the official Duc꧃ati team this year, giving h⛎im the best machinery on the grid.

The casualty of the manufacturer's decision was Jorge Martin, who won the MotoGP title on a 🅺Ducati but has now joined Aprilia.

“I wasn't 🌃surprised,” Wayne Gardner told aboutౠ the decision to pick Marquez instead of Martin.

“To be honest, i🤪f it had been me, 💫I probably would have stayed with Jorge.

“But hey, Marc is a very talen༒ted rider, there is no doubt. They 🔯are both Spanish riders, right?

“I think what Ducati did was remove Marq🌼uez from th൩e competition.

“It is better to have him work🍌ing with them than against them.

“They know how good Marc is. He seems to have improved a lot since꧅ he joined Ducati.

“Ducati obviously has the best bi💯ke on🐬 the grid, and it has been that way for many years.

“And Marc has been ꩲcoping with the Honda, that's why he had so many crashes.

“He still has quite a few crashes, but now it has a little more consistency, and I guꩲess that's because the bike isꦫ much better.

“But from Ducati's point of view, they cann﷽ot risk having Marq൩uez on a rival team.

“It is beꦦtter to put him on their team, and then they know that they aඣre going to win with Pecco or with Marquez next year.

“S𓂃o they had to make a decision, and 🌜that's how it happened.

“And now Marti🌃n is goin🍬g to Aprilia; I think it’s going to be incredible with that bike.

“I think that will make the championship💃 even more interesting, to be honest.”

Marquez put Ducati♋ in a difficult position when, last summer, they were considering their 2025 liℱne-up.

He made it clear that Pramac, even on a factory-spඣec bike, was ▨not an option.

It caused Ducati to U-turn🍸 from their original plan to reward Martin.

Martin signed for A꧂prilia as a result, then completed a dream season to end as MotoGP ch🏅ampion.

He could now run the #1 on an Aprilia in 2025.