2023-05-30 18:37:20
Ducati has been looking askance at what is happening this year in the Moto2 World Championship for some time. The Italian factory has not yet closed all the contracts of its pilots in MotoGP with a view to 2024, and to this day there are a couple of seats without an owner that could end up in the hands of one of the young Italians with the most talent in the intermediate category, Tony Arbolino.
The 22-year-old currently leads the Moto2 general classification thanks to a promising start to the season that has seen Arbolino finish on the podium in four of the first five races of 2023, also scoring two victories in Argentina and Le Mans.
With a 25-point advantage over Pedro Acosta, Arbolino has established himself as one of the strongest candidates to win the Moto2 crown this yeara complete success for a rider who reached this category in 2021, after being proclaimed runner-up in the Moto3 world.
Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse’s Sporting Director, said at Le Mans that his factory is already testing the young promises of the intermediate class; Pedro Acosta is the first on the list, but his strong relationship with KTM complicates hiring the services of the Murcianreason why Arbolino is another of the options that are being considered in the Italian factory due to his talent, speed and self-confidence on the track.
“Acosta is one of the most promising riders since his years in Moto3 and we know he has a connection to KTM, which is understandable,” Ciabatti said into the MotoGP.com microphone during the last French GP. “Tony Arbolino is also doing a good job. Let’s see, it’s a bit early, we need a couple more races before we consider what to do next year.”
What would be the fate of Arbolino if he finally consolidates his jump to MotoGP in 2024? Ducati plans to make Enea Bastianini’s automatic renewal clause effective during this next summer, ensuring his permanence with Pecco Bagnaia until December of next year. The Mooney VR46 Racing Team will also keep their current partner, made up of Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini, so there are only two pits available for Arbolino: PRAMAC Ducati and Gresini Racing.
At PRAMAC, to this day they have neither Jorge Martín nor Johann Zarco tied up; The man from Madrid is letting himself be loved by other factoriesbut given the potential of the bike he is riding and the technical superiority of the Desmosedici, it seems difficult for Martín to abandon the security provided by PRAMAC.
Zarco, for his part, he will be 33 years old in julyand at the moment neither Ducati nor PRAMAC have commented on the extension of the contract of the French rider, who this year celebrates his third season with the Italian satellite team and who, to date, has still not achieved his long-awaited first MotoGP victory.
Another seat that could pass into the hands of Arbolino is that of Fabio Di Giannantonio. The Italian’s jump to MotoGP took place in 2022, after finishing seventh at the end of the year in Moto2, and to date his results on the Ducati of the Gresini team are not helping him extend his sports career in the premier class, especially after being overshadowed last year by a very fast Enea Bastianini. What Álex Márquez is doing in his first year with Ducati does not play in his favor either, adding more points than Di Giannantonio in addition to having already climbed to the podium dressed in the colors of Gresini.
Read also: “Marc Márquez will ride for Ducati with an offer that he won’t be happy with,” says Lorenzo
Interestingly, Tony Arbolino’s manager is carlo pernat, the person who also represents the interests of Enea Bastianini and who, at the time, also managed the signing of ‘The Beast’ by Gresini. At Le Mans, Pernat preferred to throw balls out when asked about Ducati’s interest in Tony: “It is too early to talk about his chances in MotoGP, but a possible change of category will not depend on whether or not he wins the Moto2 title either”the veteran driver manager told Speedweek.com.
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