Ducati Follow Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton Footsteps to Sign Marc Marquez for Factory Team, Sending Fans Into Frenzy

Liberty Media acquired MotoGP in April, bringing it under the same roof as F1. Italy is now attempting to conquer both global motorsports. The Ferrari F1 team pulled off the unthinkable, poaching Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes for 2025. MotoGP’s red Italian team, the Ducati factory team, has responded, signing Marc Marquez for 2025 and 2026. Hamilton, a 7-time F1 champion, has been stuck for 4 years without his much-awaited 8th title. Marquez, a 6-time MotoGP champion, is in a similar situation; without his highly anticipated 7th title, that would leave him only one short of matching the world record.

While Hamilton joins the scarlet red Ferrari with the team on the verge of fighting for the title, Marquez will drive for the reigning World Champions. “I am very happy to be able to wear the red colors of the factory Ducati team in MotoGP next season. Basically, from the first contact with the Desmosedici GP, I enjoyed riding it and adapted well straight away,” Marquez said in a statement, adding, “From that moment on, I knew that my goal was to continue this path, to continue to grow, and to move to the team where Francesco Bagnaia has been the World Champion for two years in a row. I am happy to be able to take this big step in 2025 and grateful for the trust Ducati has placed in me.”

The trailer for Motorsport in 2025 is nothing short of a thriller. Let’s have a look at how enthralled fans were upon witnessing such giant transfers.

Marc Marquez writes “biggest plot twist” of 2024 after Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move

Marc Marquez and Lewis Hamilton’s transfers also share dissimilarities. Hamilton is joining Mercedes’ direct rival in an attempt to taste Ferrari’s historic fanfare. His Spanish MotoGP counterpart, however, is stepping up from Ducati’s ‘satellite’ team to their ‘factory’ team. In F1 terms, this translates to a Haas driver joining Ferrari or a Williams driver joining Mercedes. But all fans can focus on is this: two multiple World Champions signing for Red Italian teams. Drawing parallels, one X user termed this the turning point in how both Liberty-Media-owned sports will be shaken up by these transfers.

Another fan took this opportunity to take an unneeded dig at Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. They emphasized how, out of the 2 team pairings, the Monegasque is the only one with no titles to his name.

One user summoned all the bandwagoners, albeit in a pleasant way. Switching to entirely supporting Italian motorsport teams next year seemed like the best solution, an emotion echoed by many.

Another fan was rather overwhelmed. From their tweet, it might be safe to say that Marquez and Hamilton not only made their eyes light up in joy but a happy dance to some upbeat tunes followed too.

Another user summed up the equation pretty well. They drew similarities even between the drivers that Hamilton and Marquez would be replacing.

The future indeed looks great for Italy’s motorsport efforts. If both World Champions add one more to their tally with their respective red teams, history will be rewritten.