Massimo Bartolini quit as Ducati Vehicle Performance Engineer to become Yamaha’s🌠 tꦕechnical director.

Marco Nicotra lef🌞t the Italian for the Japanese manufacturer to become head of a🍎erodynamics.

These two acquisitions are a major boost for Yamaha who are reeling from a terrible season,🦩 and who lag a 🎀long way behind Ducati.

“It's certainly not trivial to lose impor♛tant pieces every year,” Paolo Campinoti, the Pramac boss, told . 

“But Ducati is the strongest team from a technꦚical point of view. 

“And i✱t is normal that they come to fish from them.&☂nbsp;

“Massimo, as well as being very nice, is⛎ a very good guy and I don't think a company like Yamaha can afford to continue [like this], so I understand their move."

Another high-profile departure from Ducati’s MotoGP team is Paolo Ciabatti.

Ciab꧙atti was sporting director last year, but has moved out of the MotoGP programme altogether to oversee the brand’s new off-road project.

And on the track, Ducati must deal with the huge arrival o𒊎f Marc Marquez - a rider who they appear to accept might ruffle some feathers.

“In this sense, Gigi Dall'Igna is very good at managing,” Campinoti said abꦡout these c♎hanges. 

“But I ꦑfeel very sorry for Paolo, to whom I am very close on a professional but also personal 🌠level. 

“He's not really going away, given that he will move on to managing off-road, but we wi𓆉ll miss him."

Could Pramac ꦑthemselves follow these Ducati figures out of the door?

Yamah✅a and KTM are both vocal about adding satellite teams to their brands next🌃 year.

Pramac’s current cওontract with Ducati - which sees them equipped with factory-spec bikes - expires at the end of thi♋s season.

“True, but we have the option to renew,” Campinoti sa🔜id. 

“Leaving Ducati is no𒉰t a real꧑istic scenario for us.”

Pramac kept hold of Jorge Martin, who missed out on a promotion to the Ducati factory team when he failed to win the champio💎nship last season.

Martin enters this season already threatening to quit Ducati if 🐟he is not rewarded with the official🌄 team next year.

Franco Morbidelli left Yamaha and will replace Johann Zarco as Marti📖n’s teammate this year.&nbs🌟p;