Pramac resolves its threat once and for all: leaves Ducati and signs seven-year deal with Yamaha

The Assen Prima Pramac Racing and Yamaha Motor Racing teams immediately issued separate statements, officially announcing that the Paolo Campinoti setup, loyal to Ducati since 2005, would leave the Borgo Panigale umbrella and become a partner of the new Yamaha. . It was already a box populi since Mugello. The “multi-year contract” between the two parties will run for seven years, as Campinoti reported this morning on the specialist website GPONE.

“I want to make it clear right away: this is not about money. In fact, in the short term we will lose because we will not receive the variables that we get from sponsors, because, obviously, we do not have for a moment any faith that we will get the same results that we are used to,” Campinoti admitted to the aforementioned Italian media.

“I stayed long-term thanks to my deep personal friendship with Gigi Dall’Igna. It took time to metabolize. But when I saw how Bastianini’s overtaking of Martin at Mugello caused an incredible frenzy in the Ducati garage, I made up my mind. I understand what Tardozzi is saying, but we also had Claudio Domenicali, the militia, everyone… but why isn’t Martin one of the pilots?”

So he decided not to exercise his automatic renewal clause for two years, but the big disagreement comes from last year’s failure to sign Marc Marquez, who moved to Gresini Racing.

A statement from the Italian team read:

“Prima Pramac Racing is delighted to join Yamaha as the second factory team for the 2025 MotoGP season.

“The Yamaha chapter opens a new era for Prima Pramac Racing, promising exciting opportunities and new ambitions. With its rich tradition and proven track record in MotoGP, Yamaha is perfectly aligned with Prima Pramac Racing’s vision for the future.

Over the past 20 seasons, Pramac Racing has enjoyed a successful collaboration with Ducati, establishing itself as a powerful force in the MotoGP™ paddock. The decision to part ways with Ducati has not been taken lightly and we are grateful for a long and successful career together.

For the remainder of the season, Prima Pramac Racing will be looking to maintain its current momentum in the championship and team spirit with Ducati.

“Prima Pramac Racing and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. have common goals and a unified vision for success in MotoGP and we look forward to embarking on this exciting new journey together.”

Yamaha provides more data

The deal includes Yamaha providing factory YZR-M1 bikes with the same specifications as the official team, a rider directly contracted with Yamaha (“to be announced in due course”), and Yamaha-contracted MotoGP engineering staff working in conjunction with Prima Pramac Racing team staff. The situation is similar to KTM, with two strong teams using the same bike. Three years after losing Petronas, Yamaha has rebuilt a second team to shorten the deadline for rebuilding.

The new Factory Yamaha second team will remain independently owned and based in Rugby, England. The deal includes a future collaboration with the Moto2 project, which will serve as a platform for future riders.