A marriage coming to an end
After eight years together in MotoGP, six of which within the official team with which he celebrated winning the world title in 2022 and 2023, the streets of Francesco Bagnaia and of Ducati they 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 Marc Marquez’s new teammate who has renewed with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer.
In 2025 the direct confrontation between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia was won by a landslide by the Spanish rider, who was better able to adapt to a rather grumpy Ducati GP25 especially when braking and when entering corners. Bagnaia had great difficulty making the 2025 Ducati work, but throughout the year he never lacked support on the part of Ducati who tried in every way to put Bagnaia in a position to express his talent and speed.
“Ducati supported me in everything, they fulfilled all my requests, even the most absurd ones – said Bagnaia, guest of the podcast BSMT (Basement) conducted by Gianluca Gazzoli – at a certain point one day one of my mechanics and I went to weigh the plates. 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 that I went faster, also because there would be no reason to put me in difficulty. From the moment I get paid by Ducati, I am a Ducati rider, they would not have had any need, reason or necessity to put me in difficulty on purpose. It would have been something crazy. Unfortunately I didn’t get it right with the Ducati GP25, it happens, it can’t be perfect every year. Hearing talk of a boycott against me wasn’t easy because even if it’s pure inventions, the team is made up of people, human beings, who may or may not be offended, or in any case may take it badly, and that’s wrong.”
