Double world champion Casey Stoner says he is surprised that Ducati has allowed its riders to race freely this year, but warned that the Italian manufacturer doesn’t want to lose the revered number one plate in MotoGP.
Jorge Martin is primed to win the 2024 MotoGP title on Pramac-entered satellite Ducati, having established a substantial 24-point lead over factory rider Francesco Bagnaia with just next week’s Barcelona finale to run.
From the beginning of the year, paddock insiders have repeatedly claimed that Ducati wouldn’t let a rider from outside the factory team win the championship, even as Martin pulled out an early lead in the standings.
The Spaniard’s decision to sign a two-year deal with rival brand Aprilia in May further cemented this belief in the paddock, as a title for him would give the Noale brand the right to run the number one on his RS-GP in 2025.
But Ducati has always maintained that it will keep things fair between the pair this year, with team manager Davide Tardozzi stating as recently as last weekend’s Malaysian GP that Enea Bastianini will not be asked to support team-mate Bagnaia's title bid.
However, former MotoGP star Stoner is not convinced with Ducati’s public stance on this matter, having witnessed some of the internal politics first-hand during his time with the Borgo Panigale marque in 2007-10.
"I think Jorge deserves the title and is in a position to win it,” the Australian told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Pecco will do everything he can to win it and Ducati would like to keep the number one. [I hope] everything [will] go smoothly, as there could be a lot of chaos.”
When it was put to him that some people at Ducati may not want Martin to win, he said: “I'm of the same opinion. I know the company and I know what they are willing to do to win. I'm surprised I didn't see it before, or maybe it happened and Jorge got good at it.”
As for the architect of the dominant GP24, Gigi Dall’Igna, wanting to ensure Martin has equal opportunity to fight two-time champion Bagnaia, Stoner suggested that they are other people in the hierarchy who may hold a different opinion on the matter.
“That's what Gigi thinks. But then there are the [Ducati bosses], who don't want to lose the number one,” he said.
“But everyone is watching them very closely. If they make a mistake like that, it will be found out. If they create a problem, it will backfire.
“I hope that everything goes well and that we can see the real world champion.”
Martin has stepped up his game in recent years to become the only rider to consistently challenge two-time champion Bagnaia for the title.
After a painful defeat in 2023, Martin has shown more maturity on track this year, with his consistency key in outscoring Bagnaia over the course of the year despite scoring just three Sunday wins to the Italian’s 10.
Martin had verbally agreed a deal with Ducati to step up to the factory team next year alongside Bagnaia, only for the Borgo Panigale marque to change its mind and sign Marc Marquez to replace the departing Bastianini.
It prompted Martin to sever all ties with Ducati and forge a new path with Aprilia, despite the contrasting fortunes of the two brands in MotoGP this year.
Stoner enthusiastically praised the 26-year-old, who is on the verge of becoming only the third rider in the history of the premier class to win a title for Ducati the Australian himself and Bagnaia.
“Jorge has shown what he is capable of and has improved continuously. He deserves to win the world championship,” he said.
“For Ducati it would be a hard blow, losing him next year, but I think even more so for Jorge, who has spent these years being loyal to the brand, has made extraordinary efforts to be the only one able to fight with Bagnaia to win races and the championship, and they deprived him of the opportunity to move up to the factory team. I don't think it's fair.
“But unfortunately, that's how Ducati works and that's why it has lost so many riders. You have to leave the best bike, but you don't race just for money, you race for passion and to have fun. And when you have people who turn their back on you so easily, you find your motivation by going somewhere else.”
