Drivers and teams – Pol Espargaro at HRC and Jorge Martin at Ducati Pramac ?! –

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Pol Espargaro at HRC and Jorge Martin at Ducati Pramac ?!

Drivers and teams - Pol Espargaro at HRC and Jorge Martin at Ducati Pramac ?! -

Despite the decline of the coronavirus, the MotoGP transfer market remains very feverish for 2021: Ducati Pramac would have secured the services of Jorge Martin in reaction to Jack Miller’s departure to an official Desmosedici, while Honda-Repsol would have debauched Pol Espargaro from home KTM ! Explanations.

The arrival of Jorge Martin at Ducati-Pramac cuts the grass under the foot of Honda and KTM who coveted him for a long time: the young man of Madrid of 22 years enjoys a big odds since his title in Moto3 in 2018 (on Honda ) followed by a promising first season on a Moto2 KTM (11th with two podiums and a Top 5).

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Fast and pugnacious, the Ajo team rider also qualified 8th at the 2020 Qatar GP before finishing 20th in the first – and so far unique – race of the season. On a forced stop since mid-March like the rest of the world, the n ° 88 took the opportunity to plan his next season with his agent Albert Valera.

"Discussions with Ducati are quite advanced: we are working in the same direction to bring Jorge next year in MotoGP", said the Spaniard: "we hope to be able to sign an agreement soon," Valera reveals cautiously then that "sources close to the matter" announce that this agreement has already been signed…

Jorge Martin would succeed Jack Miller – who will become official Ducati rider in 2021 – within the private structure Pramac, which should in all likelihood renew Francesco Bagnaïa in his functions for a third year. Pramac also benefiting from direct support from the factory, Martin would make his debut among the elite on a Desmosedici close to official motorcycles.

Which handlebars for Zarco in 2021 ?

This appointment of Jorge Martin would not do the business of Johann Zarco, who has a direct contract with Ducati within the Avintia team … The French driver – who has just driven three days in Barcelona on a production Panigale V4 for get back on track – aspires to access an official Desmosedici after having proven himself in the Spanish team. Alas, the Covid-19 upsets his career plan…

Pressed for time, the official Ducati team preferred to secure Jack Miller alongside Andrea Dovizioso, who is dragging out his contract extension but without any real other valid options. And as the allocation of the handlebars is almost finalized at Pramac, Johann knows that he will not be able to bounce there on a factory Ducati in 2021..

The only hope for the n ° 5: that "Pecco" Bagnaia is finally not returned to Pramac or that "Dovi" – tired of his three consecutive "titles" of vice-world champion – finally decides to go and see elsewhere if the ‘grass is more orange: why not at KTM, replacing Pol Espargaro ?!

Pol Espargaro at HRC in 2021 ?!

This is the new crazy rumor of this weekend: Pol Espargaro – who got back on his RC16 last week during private tests in Austria – would have postponed KTM’s contract extension in favor of the official Honda team, who would roll it in 2021 alongside Marc Marquez ! 

If confirmed, this transfer would mean that Alex Marquez is already certain to lose his handlebars, even though the reigning Moto2 world champion has yet to compete a single race on the factory RC213V. . This astonishing – not to say unbelievable – scenario would certainly provoke tensions between the HRC and the Marquez clan, but perhaps not enough to weigh in the decision-making process at Honda….

Because Marc Marquez having signed an unprecedented extension until 2024, his power over the HRC is limited … And if he is furious at the treatment reserved for his younger brother, he is free to break his solid gold contract for go to another manufacturer with high compensation to the key, could retort the Japanese giant. In other words: the Marquez are stuck and Honda has free rein !

Drivers and teams - Pol Espargaro at HRC and Jorge Martin at Ducati Pramac ?! -

But does the hiring of Pol Espargaro really make sense for the most capped structure in MotoGP? There is room for doubt: "Polito", 11th last year, is certainly talented and hard-working, but there is nothing to confirm that the mayonnaise will take with the RC213V. The former Moto2 world champion (in 2013) has only climbed the podium once since his arrival in the premier class in 2014: a performance achieved in the rain in Valencia (Spain) in 2018. 

In addition, the current leader of the KTM clan has already ridden an excellent MotoGP without sparking: the Yamaha M1 at Tech3 between 2014 and 2017, with which he fell a lot to rank between 6th and 9th place. to the general. To compare with the performances of Johann Zarco in the same team, then of Fabio Quartararo on a similar motorcycle! To follow naturally on MNC: stay connected !

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