Marc has already made enough money to be comfortable and take said paltry sum, especially if it means winning. I read that Martin is on some extraordinary win bonus that meant he got paid more than Bagnaia last season.
Enea is obviously Italian and if what Pecco says is true...that they get on....then he has that working for him but he needs to get some results. Feels like a long shot to me. Of the 2 Spaniards, Martin has been a bit of a loose cannon? Maybe it's due to translation and/or the press doing what the press does but Jorge doesn't come off the way I would think a factory would want. Marc seems to say all the right things and doesn't bash anybody. If he continues to get results and stays at the sharp end, I believe he will be in red. Something tells me the decision will not be made by Mugello.
It's irrelevant because Ducati plans to make the decision in Mugello at the latest, not enough time for Jorge to become a champion or even build a sizeable lead in the standings. I think they just don't like Jorge's behavior, he's too combative/vindictive and has never hidden his displeasure at not being promoted to the factory Ducati twice. Marc will or will not gel with Pecco as teammate, but at least he's known to not say bad words about the factory employing him. Also as threatened as Pecco might feel (or not) by Marc, I still get the impression he's more friendly with him than with Jorge, so it's a situation of factory and star rider not wanting Jorge (I emphasize, this is all just my gut feeling). Ducati also probably feel that Marc on a KTM/Aprilia will be a bigger threat than Jorge on those bikes, short term at least.
How about Ducati sign MM to replace the Beast, expecting Martin to jump ship to another manufacturer, thinking this will hobble Martin and make it easier for the factory team to keep winning the championship with either Pecco or MM another year or two. From the looks of things so far if they can get Martin off a Ducati and he struggles elsewhere I have a feeling that MM could win it all next year if he stays healthy and keeps riding like he is. MM is a very aggressive rider, he seems to be able to stay upright on the Ducati while doing his thing now, I am thinking we ain't seen nothing yet.
Me neither but with a new formula coming up and the potential of only having one current spec bike, they may dip their toes into the water to see what else is out there.
Yamaha are reputedly offering bikes for free to a prospective satellite team, might be attractive commercially particularly if the new formula brings less Ducati dominance.
I don't think MM is too worried about what colours he races in, just his standing within the manufacturer. It sounds like he just wants to be on equal footing to the other title contenders.
There is always get out clauses in contracts and if KTM decide they want a new lineup that Red Bull money lets them do whatever they want.
If things do not improve soon for Binder and Miller, I would not be surprised at all if KTM said Auf Wiedersehen to both riders. I would also not be surprised if KTM did not already have an offer for Marquez and Martin.
