A little more than a week until the official announcement of the contract extension between Jack Miller and Ducati, which, as we have already expected, will take place in Mugello. The Australian has fully earned it with two wins in a row at Jerez and Le Mans.
With the ring on the finger also for 2022 – so to speak – the official Ducati team is now complete, as Pecco Bagnaia already had a two-year contract.
The next step will be the confirmation of the Pramac satellite team, by Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin and With the sixth Grand Prix of the year being held in Tuscany, there could be nothing easier than confirming both Jackass and Ducati as Paolo Campinoti’s Pramac team with a three-year contract.
This is the latest news that is virtually safe in our possession. Incidentally, the manufacturer Borgo Panigale is currently moving 360 ° due to its success in the championship, so that it will be able to field eight motorcycles in 2022!
“Yes, it’s true, we think about it – Paolo Ciabatti confirmed – the eight-bike option is on the table. We did this relatively recently, when we had the Avintia and Aspar teams in addition to Pramac. We think we can handle it. And that would allow us to have a good number of young riders on the Ducati. “
Aprilia is not happy: she risks not finding customers for her RS-GP
Ducati’s expansion goals in terms of youth policy became clear immediately after the divorce from Dovizioso. The team looked revitalized and this year’s successes have only confirmed it. As manager of Alberto Verganis Experience rightly says that both the team and the driver have to blindly believe in each other. And this no longer applied to the pairing Gigi Dall’Igna-Andrea Dovizioso.
Of course, not everyone likes this expansion policy, especially Aprilia. In fact, as you know, Ducati is negotiating at the same time with the VR46 and the Gresini team. In addition, they are the only ones who have guaranteed starting places in MotoGP.
Dorna is of course aware of these negotiations, and as far as we know it has no objection. Carmelo Ezpeleta knows that the two teams evaluate the offers, the type of service, the material and the price. As they say, when they’re happy, everyone is happy.
But although both negotiations are well advanced, there is currently no signature, not even on a preliminary contract. Which doesn’t mean that of course there won’t be.
Ducati wants to corner the market for young riders … and it works
The fact is that if Aprilia has loosened its grip, as Massimo Rivola confirms, who said the Noale maker is not ready yet – despite the excellent results achieved in this very first phase of the World Championship with the RS-GP ridden by Aleix Espargarò – Yamaha may still have some ambitions. After all, while VR46 is a separate entity from Valentino Rossi, there is also no denying that it thrives on reflected light. And the man from Pesaro is the image of the Iwata manufacturer.
War – because that is a war – is fought over the young riding market. Ducati wants to keep all of its current ones because it believes both Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini deserve to continue their MotoGP adventure on the Desmosedici after their debut year.
If there were eight bicycles, there would be six more Fabio di Giannantonio, if you already have a signed contract with the Gresini team to switch to MotoGP … and there would still be a place free!
As far as we know, everything will be cleared up here too soon: Ducati’s options with their drivers will expire at the end of June. So in a little over a month in Borgo Panigale, you will also need to know what to offer this cheerful bunch of young guys. And while we’re talking about GP22 bikes for the in-house team and Pramac team, for the other two teams there will likely be an official Desmosedici and one from the year before. But there is still talk about it in Via Antonio Cavalieri Ducati 3, in Borgo Panigale …