Jorge Lorenzo Admits: Dall’Igna Was Right About Jorge Martin After What He Saw in 2025

The MotoGP paddock is no stranger to controversial moves, but few decisions in recent memory have sparked as much debate as Ducati’s call to prioritize Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin heading into the 2025 season. Martin left the Ducati stable at the end of 2024 despite winning the riders’ championship, while Marquez was promoted into the coveted GP25 factory machinery. At the time, many were baffled. Why let go of a reigning world champion in his prime? Yet as the 2025 campaign has unfolded, former champion Jorge Lorenzo admits that Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna and his engineering team saw something the rest of the world did not.

Martin’s Exit from Ducati: A Decision That Shocked the Paddock

Jorge Martin’s 2024 campaign with Pramac Ducati was nothing short of spectacular. He captured seven pole positions, three victories, and a total of 16 podiums en route to amassing 508 points, sealing the MotoGP title ahead of Francesco Bagnaia. His consistency and explosive qualifying performances painted the picture of a rider ready to become the cornerstone of Ducati’s future.

Yet instead of promoting Martin into the factory seat, Ducati chose to pivot toward Marc Marquez. The Spaniard, then riding for Gresini on the GP23, had demonstrated flashes of brilliance but was still widely seen as a rider rebuilding after injury-plagued years at Honda. From the outside, it seemed an odd choice. Bagnaia had faltered, Martin was the defending champion, and Marquez — though legendary — had not delivered a full title challenge since 2019.

That shock move forced Martin to leave Ducati entirely, signing with Aprilia as part of their all-new line-up alongside Marco Bezzecchi. Meanwhile, the Pramac team abandoned Ducati machinery altogether to become a Yamaha satellite squad. The chessboard of MotoGP shifted dramatically, and with it came questions about whether Ducati had gambled too heavily on Marquez.

The 2025 Season: Marquez Shines While Martin Struggles

Fast forward to September 2025, and the situation looks very different. Marc Marquez has dominated on the Ducati GP25, winning 11 of the opening 16 races and stamping his authority on the championship. His teammate, Bagnaia, has floundered in comparison, while Fabio di Giannantonio lingers outside the title fight in seventh. The gulf between Marquez and the rest has made Dall’Igna’s decision appear prophetic.

Meanwhile, Jorge Martin has endured a nightmare start to life at Aprilia. After fracturing his left hand early in the season, disaster struck again at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he suffered 11 broken ribs and a hemopneumothorax. The crash sidelined him for seven races, leaving him with little opportunity to showcase his abilities on the RS-GP25. Though he has since returned to action, his performances remain a shadow of the form that made him world champion in 2024. The contrast between Marquez’s rise and Martin’s struggles has only amplified the debate over Ducati’s choice.

Jorge Lorenzo’s Analysis: “Now We’ve Seen the Truth”

MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo, who has transitioned into punditry, has offered his take on the saga. Initially skeptical, Lorenzo now concedes that Ducati’s engineers were right. According to Lorenzo, it was difficult for outside observers to judge the true level of Marc Marquez in 2024. Riding a year-old GP23 with Gresini, Marquez was inherently at a disadvantage compared to Martin and Bagnaia on the factory-supported GP24.

“I didn’t know what the real difference was last year between the 2024 [bike] and the 2023 that Marc was riding,” Lorenzo explained. “As a commentator, for example, at the last corner in Qatar, you could see that under acceleration, Bagnaia’s bike was getting away. I didn’t know there was so much difference last year. This year, we saw that there really was a big difference between the old bike compared to the new one that Martin and Bagnaia had.”

The key, according to Lorenzo, lay in the telemetry. “Gigi and the engineers were certainly able to see the telemetry, and that’s why the choice to take Marc instead of Martin was clear to them. For us as viewers, as he came in third, and Martin and Bagnaia were first and second, it was difficult to judge his value, wasn’t it, the true potential of all three riders. Now we’ve seen that Marc is on another level.”

It is a powerful endorsement of Marquez and a recognition of Dall’Igna’s vision. Ducati trusted the data over results sheets, and in doing so, they secured the rider who has since redefined the limits of the GP25.

Where Martin Fits Among Today’s Elite

Despite his current struggles, Jorge Martin’s talent is not in question. Lorenzo has acknowledged this by ranking Martin among his top five active MotoGP riders — excluding Marquez, whom he believes stands alone. In a recent video, Lorenzo placed Martin third overall, behind rising sensation Pedro Acosta, whom he describes as the closest in raw talent to Marquez. Lorenzo also added Marco Bezzecchi into his top six, recognizing the Italian’s stellar season with Aprilia.

Martin’s resilience has been tested in 2025. Following his crash in Qatar, he admitted that he wasn’t sure if he would even ride a motorcycle again. To return at all is already an achievement. His immediate focus is on recovery, rebuilding his physical strength, and adapting fully to the Aprilia package. While the title is out of reach this season, Martin remains determined to prove that he is not just a one-time champion.

The Hypothetical Question: What If Martin Had Stayed at Ducati?

The great “what if” of the season revolves around how Martin might have fared had he remained with Ducati and ridden the GP25 alongside Marquez. With the reigning champion’s one-lap speed and proven racecraft, it is easy to imagine him as the only genuine rival capable of keeping Marquez honest. Instead, the Ant of Cervera has enjoyed relatively unchallenged dominance, while Martin battles to return to full strength on unfamiliar machinery.

For Ducati, the outcome has validated their bold call. For Martin, however, the move away from Bologna represents both a missed opportunity and a fresh challenge. It has left him in the role of underdog — a status he is no stranger to, given his journey to the 2024 title.

Looking Toward 2026: Dark Horse Status for Aprilia

Despite the setbacks, there is optimism for the future. Martin and Bezzecchi have shown flashes of synergy with Aprilia’s RS-GP25, and with both riders fit and fully adapted, the Italian manufacturer could emerge as a dark horse in the 2026 championship fight. Martin’s qualifying pace, if rediscovered, could combine with Bezzecchi’s consistency to make Aprilia a formidable force.

However, the looming question remains: can anyone stop Marc Marquez? Based on the evidence of 2025, it may not be until the 2027 regulations reshape MotoGP that the balance of power truly shifts. Until then, Martin, Bezzecchi, and the rest of the field will be left chasing the eight-time world champion.

Conclusion: Dall’Igna’s Gamble Pays Off

When Ducati chose Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin, it was a decision that stunned the MotoGP world. A year later, with Marquez obliterating the field on the GP25, the wisdom of that move is undeniable. As Jorge Lorenzo has now admitted, Dall’Igna and his team saw through the numbers to recognize the extraordinary potential that Marquez still possessed.

For Martin, 2025 has been a year of setbacks and resilience. His championship-winning credentials remain intact, and his story is far from over. But the narrative of this season belongs to Marquez and the engineers who believed in him. As Lorenzo put it, “Now we’ve seen that Marc is on another level.”

The rest of MotoGP must rise to meet it.