Ducati, Tardozzi pays tribute to Bagnaia
At the end of the 2026 World Championship, one of the pairs that have characterized recent years of MotoGP will come to an end. Francesco Bagnaia will indeed leave Ducati to seek in Aprilia what he has almost never found in recent seasons: feeling with the bike, victories, and the sensation of leading a team from a technical and motivational point of view, an aspect that was lost with the arrival of Marc Marquez.
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The relationship between Ducati and Bagnaia will not be a polemical farewell, but a romantic one. “Pecco,” in his social farewells, had sweet words (“You were my dream, you became the most beautiful reality ever“) and Ducati itself has paid tribute to him on several occasions. The latest was with team manager Davide Tardozzi, who highlighted the contribution of #63 in the history of the Borgo Panigale house and the human relationship built over the years.
Tardozzi’s words
“Pecco is the most successful Ducati rider in MotoGP history. He has 31 wins, 28 pole positions, 63 podiums, two world titles, and twice he was world runner-up. I believe he has a super enviable resume. He will remain and always be part of Ducati’s history,” this is Tardozzi’s comment to Moto.it. “One thing that will never change is the human and friendship relationship that has been created with this guy, who is uniquely available and professionally honest. Then, in work, there are moments when it’s better for both parties to separate, and this is shown by the move to Aprilia, where he will find a super competitive bike. He deserves it“.
For Bagnaia, Aprilia is the ideal choice. But Ducati certainly landed on its feet, securing Pedro Acosta: “I believe he is the greatest talent of recent generations. He has won everything from the very beginning, he won the Rookies Cup, dominated Moto3, and dominated Moto2. Unfortunately, in MotoGP he has not yet done what we think he can do, but hopefully, he will get there from next year“.