With one Pramac Ducati seat available and another expected to open up at Gresini, we have put together a list of contenders to join the Italian manufacturer for the 2024 MotoGP season.
Johann Zarco’s departure from Pramac Ducati has officially been confirmed, with the French rider moving to LCR Honda for the 2024 MotoGP campaign in place of Alex Rins.
A surprising move given Honda’s current woes, however, Zarco’s seat will now give Ducati the chance to attack the rider market and pick from a talented group of riders.
With the Pramac seat being one of four guaranteed full factory-spec bikes, securing a rider with MotoGP experience is likely to be the main goal.
Marco Bezzecchi
Which is why we’re starting this list with Marco Bezzecchi.
Following his podium finish at the Red Bull Ring, Bezzecchi admitted he has made a decision on his future and it’s expected that he will remain with Mooney VR46.
However, that remains speculation at this stage and Ducati’s top brass have confirmed they hope Bezzecchi will join Jorge Martin at Pramac.
Bezzecchi would be the most logical choice given his current form, experience and relationship with Ducati.
Franco Morbidelli
If Bezzecchi jumped across to Pramac, then Morbidelli would be the clear-cut favourite to move into his slot at Mooney VR46.
But with that looking unlikely at this stage, Morbidelli could be an interesting option for Pramac to look at.
A former MotoGP runner-up and a rider that has shown an ability to match Fabio Quartararo at times in 2023, Morbidelli still has the talent to contend for top results provided the machine he’s on is a competitive one.
Joan Mir
The inclusion of Mir is a very bold one and he’s the last rider we’re putting into contention for the Pramac seat.
The factory Honda rider has endured a dreadful season aboard the RC213V, as he’s yet to finish a race since the season-opener – the former world champion has missed four of the ten rounds.
Mir has done something that very rarely happened to him at Suzuki, which is to repeatedly crash.
But the Spaniard could be the perfect rider to join Ducati at Pramac, not only because of his talent, but experience with different manufacturers.
Mir’s results in 2023 should not be a reflection solely on him, but also the machine he’s having to work with, which is one of the reasons why Alex Rins broke a two-year deal to join Yamaha for next season. Mir would need to do the same in order to secure a move elsewhere.
Jake Dixon
At Gresini, two names could be in the running to replace Fabio Di Giannantonio should the team move on from the Italian.
The first of those is Jake Dixon who has been in incredible form over the last few rounds, and as a result has put himself into contention for a MotoGP seat.
Dixon admitted at the Red Bull Ring that offers have been made to him for 2024, although he was non-committal on whether any of those had been from MotoGP teams.
Tony Arbolino
Finally on this list is Tony Arbolino, who has been linked to Ducati since the opening rounds of the year.
His manager Carlo Pernat was previously responsible for placing Enea Bastianini into Gresini.
Ducati themselves mentioned the Italian as a concrete possibility to join Gresini, however, recent rumours have linked Arbolino with a stay in Moto2.
Keyword: Two Ducati MotoGP seats are available in 2024, so the race is on...