Jorge Martin's victory in the 2024 MotoGP world championship in the colors of the Pramac team made an impression. This unexpected success raises many questions about the balance of power in MotoGP and the role of satellite teams.
Jorge Martin made history in 2024 by becoming the first driver since Valentino Rossi
in 2001 to win a MotoGP title with a satellite team. With the Prima Pramac team, Martin beat her
Francesco Bagnaiayet factory pilot
Ducatiin a championship where the differences between satellite and factory teams remain significant despite identical bikes.
Oscar Haro, former sports director of LCR Hondadetailed on Nico Abad's podcast relayed by motorcyclesports the structural gap between a satellite team like
Pramac and a factory team like
Ducati : « at Pramac, there are around 26 people in the box. But at Ducati, it's a real armywe can barely move because there are so many people. A factory team is like a war machine. »
This disparity goes beyond human resources. Factory teams benefit from a constant flow of development and specific adaptations for their star drivers. Haro emphasizes that even if a satellite team receives the same technical specifications, the factory team remains the nerve center of innovation: “ all evolution comes from factory drivers. The engineers who develop the motorcycle are directly assigned to themand all collected data goes through the factory team. »
With access to the resources of a factory team, Jorge Martin's career could reach new heights
The success of Martin is all the more remarkable because he had to deal with these limitations. Despite significant support from Ducati and a technically identical bike, he had to compete with riders who had a strategic advantage linked to their position on the factory team.
In a satellite team like Pramacresources are limited: fewer personnel, less real-time data, and less direct influence on the development of the motorcycle. Yet, Martin knew how to maximize the efficiency of his team and take advantage of every opportunity.
The victory of Jorge Martin demonstrates that, even in an environment dominated by factory teams, a talented driver and a well-organized satellite structure can overturn the hierarchy. This success is also a message for
Ducati and other manufacturers: it is possible to diversify their investments to strengthen the competitiveness of satellite teams.
Pour 2025, Martin joined
Aprilia as a factory driver. This transition to an official team represents an opportunity for him to benefit from the advantages mentioned by Haro, while trying to defend his title in a new structure.
His triumph in 2024 will stand as an iconic example of defeating the odds, proving that talent and determination can transcend structural barriers. But with access to the resources of a factory team, the career of
Jorge Martin could reach new heights.
