Opinion: What does Miller to KTM mean for Ducati?

Jack Miller leaving the Lenovo Ducati Team obviously opens up a factory ride at Ducati. This means one of the six satellite Ducati riders will be in line to replace Miller. The big question is which rider will the Ducati management put into the Lenovo Ducati squad.

Personally I believe only three of the satellite riders have a chance of making into the factory squad. Here is who I believe will be on the shortlist to replace Miller and why they could and potentially could not get a promotion.

Enea Bastianini:

The Gresini Racing Team rider seems to be everyone’s favourite to replace Miller for 2023, and this is rightly so. The Italian rider is still on a Ducati GP21 and is sat third in the championship. Bastianini has won three races so far this season and his race wins came in a dominant fashion. ‘The Beast’ has proven that he is an extremely talented MotoGP rider and is rightly on the Factory teams radar. Bastianini is a young rider at the age of 24, so he still has a long career ahead of him.

However, Bastianini has shown inconsistencies this season, which may hold him back. Bastianini may have three race wins to his name. But, he also has three DNF’s and other than his race wins his best result is an eighth place. Bastianini still has a way to go before he is as consistent as he was in Moto2, which will come in time from experience. Promoting Bastianini this soon may be a mistake with the extra pressure that will be thrown onto the 24-year-old.

Jorge Martin:

Another rider that at the start of 2022 looked like a favourite to partner Bagnaia was Jorge Martin. In his rookie season last year Martin impressed as he took a race win and further podiums. This season has been a rocky year Martin but has still produced two second place results. Currently Martin is 12th in the championship. The Spaniard is clearly a talented rider and Ducati will hold onto him no matter what.

Martin needs to have a good end to the season if he wants to get a promotion. This year Martin has been far from consistent. Four DNF’s and only four point scoring rides in nine races is not a good look. The 24-year-old clearly lacks consistency just like Bastianini. However, Martin is currently on the GP22 which is the latest Ducati machine. The Bologna factory would expect Martin to be outperforming Bastianini by now.

Johann Zarco:

The French rider has been a good asset to Ducati since he joined in 2020. In his one season with Avintia he scored one podium and in Pramac he has been crucial for Ducati. Zarco finished fifth last year in the championship and is currently 4th this season. The one thing that Zarco brings is experience and consistency. Zarco has scored points in seven out of nine races this season. He also has three podiums to his name, with a lowest race position of ninth. If Ducati want a consistent number two to Bagnaia, Zarco is their man.

However, the crucial different to Zarco and the other two Ducati riders I have mentioned is their ages. Zarco is not a young gun anymore he will be 32 by the end of the season, and in the current MotoGP world he is old. Zarco is still doing the business currently, but their could be worries around how much longer his career will last. Another big thing against Zarco is the only time he rode for a factory MotoGP team he bailed. In 2019 Zarco rode for KTM and left after 13 races, I do not believe this would happen again, but Ducati management may be wary of the fact.

Find out who we believe should join the Lenovo Ducati Team on the Superbike Show next Wednesday!

Images from MotoGP.com