Francesco Bagnaia will officially leave the factory Ducati squad at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season and join rival Aprilia next year.
The two-time series champion is expected to be replaced by KTM star Pedro Acosta, who is set to be announced as Marc Marquez’s team-mate at Ducati for 2027.
But this is no surprise, having been anticipated for some time after a tough 18 months for Bagnaia, who has been second-best to Marquez since the latter joined the factory team in 2025.
Last year saw Marquez dominate his way to a seventh crown, while Bagnaia finished fifth and 257 points behind in an uncharacteristic year for him having previously been Ducati’s top dog.
The Italian was instrumental in bringing back the manufacturer’s glory days, as he ended a 15-year title drought by becoming champion in 2022 before winning again in 2023.
So Ducati intends to give a fitting farewell to its most successful rider in history after eight seasons aboard a Desmosedici, six of which came with the factory team.
“Pecco is one of those riders with whom the spark was immediate,” said Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna. “We identified him and wanted him from a very young age to build a project around him.
“He was fast, but above all, intelligent. The goal was to bring the Desmosedici to the highest level of its potential and together we achieved that.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Lukas Kabon / Anadolu via Getty Images
“In relationships, it is not always easy to recognise and understand when a cycle has come to an end and change becomes necessary.
“The deep bond and mutual affection between us will not change, and that will be key to managing what remains of the season.”
Bagnaia therefore has 13 grands prix to add to his tally of 31 victories with Ducati, whose 2027 line-up will feature no Italian riders for the first time since Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden in 2010.
“The 2022 title holds a special value for me because it represented the culmination of Ducati’s restructuring process, which allowed us to return to the forefront after an undeniably difficult period,” said Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, as Stoner was the Italian marque’s last champion before Bagnaia, in 2007.
But Bagnaia should remain a frontrunner next year as he joins Aprilia, which has leapfrogged Ducati in the pecking order to lead the 2026 standings with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin.
The 29-year-old will partner Bezzecchi with his 2024 title rival Martin set to join Yamaha, which Bagnaia did consider, but he had concerns about the team that is bottom of the standings.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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