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We have written, and also repeated during our Live shows with Carlo Pernat, that this year the negotiations for the MotoGP rider market would start very soon. Carletto had even said "right from the Sepang tests".
We thought, also thanks to Marc Marquez's sensational move from the factory Honda to the Gresini team at the end of last year, that we were ahead of F1 in terms of big market signings. Carmelo Ezpeleta was gloating, finally being able to boast something new, after copying Sprint Races from the domain of Stefano Domenicali, even going over the top with the numbers.
All this came before the final mortar shell that exploded with Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025, which was signed even before the first 2024 F1 GP which will take place on March 2nd in Bahrain.
What can we say? F1 has pulverized us. Now, not to do better, but at least to parry the blow, Ducati should simultaneously announce the renewal of Pecco Bagnaia and the signing of Marquez for the two-year period 2025-2026!
Fantasy? Maybe not. After all, there have been rumours about the now ex-Mercedes man with the Prancing Horse for years and there is always a reason behind these sensational changes.
As our colleague and friend Alberto Sabbatini wittily argued, at 39 years old Hamilton - famous for his fashion blogger attitudes among certain fans rather than for his driving skills - at the end of his career will undoubtedly have more arrows in his bow alongside a luxury and fashion brand like Ferrari rather than, may the fans forgive us, of a manufacturer of mass-produced cars, albeit sophisticated and beautiful, like Mercedes.
With Ducati fans still orphans, after two consecutive titles, of Casey Stoner, the same reasoning could apply to Marc Marquez who is desperately searching for a sanctification that is slow in arriving after eight world titles.
The cost, on occasions like these, would be relative if it is true as it is true that Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari increased the value of the company by as much as 7 billion, with a 10% surge on the New York stock exchange.
With Ducati having exceeded one billion in revenues in 2023, it might be the time, after the flurry of victories, for a coup with undoubted media value. Because while it might be true that Gigi Dall'Igna's policy of signing young riders, who are cheap and go fast, is paying off in terms of racing, how much is it worth in terms of turnover and brand awareness, to use terms dear to marketing management?
Of course, the memory of the arrival of a star like Valentino Rossi in Ducati in 2011 did not bring the hoped-for results, but times and fashions change quickly and what would a third consecutive title today add to the prestige of the two-wheeled Rossa? Honestly, not much.
Because the Ducati men who today complain about the concessions granted to the Japanese manufacturers are the same ones who asked for them - and obtained them - in 2014 when Ducati had access to the so-called 'Open Class'. In that year while all teams used an ECU supplied by Dorna, the Open class limited the teams to universal software, but allowed for engine development throughout the year and a new, softer Bridgestone rear tyre, as well as four litres of extra fuel for each race.
So, MotoGP, what are we waiting for to respond to F1?
Of course, all these discussions inevitably overshadow what should, in reality, be in the foreground: that is, the response of the track, the value of the results, the beauty of the races. But with F1 chasing emptiness and MotoGP sadly imitating it, while providing a very different image in terms of entertainment, we fear that this will be the music for the next few months. Loyal readers, don't curse us when, in addition to the beautiful photos of the technical and aerodynamic developments or some interesting video interviews, which we collect on site like here in Sepang while enjoying 14-hour flights, we add gossip: that's what the manufacturers want. Numbers. The ones that provide the millions of interactions with the big news spreaders, Meta and YouTube.
Who reads it, and why they read it, seems to no longer have any value today. And all this from the trenches at Sepang, from the three journalists present at the shakedown, the #gponers plus Peter McLaren, from Crash.net, that's all for today.
