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The Gresini Ducati pilot, Alex Marquez, has secured a contract extension with the team, ensuring his place for the next two seasons. This news raises questions about the remaining seats at Ducati for the 2025 season, as the rider market is currently busy. Marquez, younger brother of six-time champion Marc Marquez, will continue racing for Gresini alongside his brother, even after Marc moves to the Ducati factory team next season. Despite his inconsistent performance, Alex Marquez has proven to be a race winner for the team, with notable victories at Silverstone and Sepang in 2023. Team boss Nadia Padovani has expressed confidence in Marquez’s potential and emphasized the strong bond between him and the team. Padovani stated that renewing Marquez’s contract was an obvious decision due to his value both on and off the track. The news of Marquez’s signing means there is now one less seat available on the 2025 grid and one less satellite Ducati machine for rookie Fermin Aldeguer, who has already been signed. Negotiations are still ongoing regarding Aldeguer’s place at Gresini and Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team. The outcome may depend on Fabio Di Giannantonio, a current VR46 rider who achieved an impressive fourth place in Assen and is being targeted by the newly announced Pramac Yamaha team. The decision on Aldeguer may also be influenced by the fate of the factory-spec Ducati bikes for the upcoming season. The bikes, currently contracted by Pramac, are set to be redistributed between VR46 and Gresini, which may strengthen Di Giannantonio’s desire to remain in Rossi’s team. With Marco Bezzecchi leaving VR46, there is already a vacant seat in the team. However, Franco Morbidelli, a VR46 Academy rider, is unlikely to want to join Pramac as they are switching to Yamaha. Alex Marquez expressed his satisfaction in staying with the Gresini family team, where he has enjoyed himself and found the necessary support structure to perform. In the press release announcing the extension of his contract, Marquez joked about his ongoing discussions with Italian team boss Padovani about acceptable pizza toppings. He thanked Nadia for her trust and expressed confidence that they would soon celebrate with a pineapple pizza.