A marriage coming to an end
After eight years together in MotoGP, six of which were within the official team with which he celebrated winning the world title in 2022 and 2023, the paths of Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati will separate at the end of 2026. Waiting for Bagnaia is Aprilia; Pecco’s place within the official Ducati team will be taken by Pedro Acosta, who will be the new garage mate of Marc Marquez, who has renewed with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer.
In 2025, the head-to-head between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia was overwhelmingly won by the Spanish rider, who was better able to adapt to a rather difficult Ducati GP25, especially under braking and during corner entry. Bagnaia had great difficulty making the 2025 Ducati work, but throughout the year, there was never a lack of support from Ducati, which tried in every way to put Bagnaia in a position to express his talent and speed.
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“Ducati supported me in everything, they granted my every request, even the most absurd ones – Bagnaia said as a guest on the BSMT (Basement) podcast hosted by Gianluca Gazzoli – at one point one day, a mechanic and I went to weigh the triple clamps. My mechanics deserve a statue for all the times they assembled and disassembled everything. I had incredible support from the team because they tried to make sure I went faster, also because there would have been no reason to put me in difficulty. From the moment I am paid by Ducati, I am a Ducati rider; they would have had no need, reason, or necessity to put me in difficulty on purpose. It would have been something crazy. Unfortunately, I didn’t find my way with the Ducati GP25; it happens, it’s not like it can be perfect every year. Hearing talk of sabotage against me was not easy because even if it’s pure invention, the team is made up of people, human beings, who can be offended or not, or in any case can take it badly, and it’s wrong.”
