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Where else can we start but with Jorge Martin ? Done waiting for Ducati , he took the title and with it , the # 1 away from one iconic Italian marque and to take it to another : Aprilia . He ’ ll be lining up alongside multiple MotoGP race winner Marco Bezzecchi too . That may leave a bittersweet taste for Ducati , who won the riders ’ and manufacturers ’ titles but don ’ t have the # 1 to display .
Pecco Bagnaia , back to the number 63 , may be the most successful rider in recent years but he ’ s now got an even more heavyweight teammate in Marc Marquez . Ducati ’ s dream team perhaps but with two mega stars going into 2025 as favourites , which one will triumph in their own rivalry ? It ’ s one of the strongest line-ups in history – and could also become one of the most dramatic .
Like Martin , there was no room at the Ducati inn for Enewa Bastianini , who moves to Red Bull KTM Tech3 for 2025 , the brand which saw Brad Binder take fifth overall in 2024 and the first non-Ducati rider in the standings . Exciting Spanish sensation and double World Champion in the smaller classes , Pedro Acosta partners up with Binder in the Red Bull KTM team , whilst Bastianini ’ s teammate is Maverick Viñales , who shifts away from Aprilia – the only manufacturer to stop Ducati winning every Grand Prix last year .
Arguably the lead independent team for Ducati this year is Valentino Rossi ’ s Pertamina Enduro VR46 outfit which welcomes Franco Morbidelli and retains Fabio Di Giannantonio . ‘ Diggia ’ gets freshly-prepped
GP25 weaponry as he returns from injury , ready to try and add to his MotoGP win count . Morbidelli will be on the title-winning GP24 , as will Gresini Racing MotoGP ’ s Alex Marquez and rookie Fermin Aldeguer . Trackhouse Racing , meanwhile , may have been 2024 ’ s new kids on the block but they ’ ve got a new line-up too ; Raul Fernandez remains and another rookie to keep an eye on in reigning Moto2™ World Champion Ai Ogura , both on 25 spec Aprilias .
2024 was tougher Yamaha and Honda , but there remains plenty to race for in 2025 . Somkiat Chantra becomes the first-ever Thai rider in MotoGP at LCR Honda IDEMITSU this year and thus joins the wider Honda family with Joan Mir , Luca Marini and Johann Zarco . Then , there ’ s the return of a Yamaha independent team for the first time since 2022 with Prima Pramac Racing , featuring Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira . Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins lead the charge with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ but two more machines is a good step for data , as is the arrival of Augusto Fernandez as test rider . Meanwhile , Honda welcome Aleix Espargaro and retain Takaaki Nakagami for their development programme , which sets the scene for a very interesting 2025 .
Do Ducati have the strongest line-up of recent seasons or will that rivalry boil over ? Can Martin keep his winning ways and prove that final piece in the puzzle for Aprilia ? What can Acosta do in the KTM factory squad ? And where , after more testing than ever thanks to their concessions , will Yamaha and Honda rejoin the fray ?
PT Grand Prix of Thailand