Francesco Bagnaia will be a tough competitor in the 2026 MotoGP

JAKARTA - Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi believes two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia will emerge as a major contender for other riders after a promising preseason performance.

Tardozzi said that Pecco's appearance and mentality changed completely after he returned from the winter break, which he remembered with the Italian rider's incredible journey in the 2024 competition season.

"So, I think Pecco will be a very difficult opponent to beat in the upcoming races," Tardozzi said as quoted by Crash.

Bagnaia had his worst season with the Ducati factory team in 2025. He almost spent a full season struggling to find consistent performance with the GP25 bike.

The 29-year-old racer has only won two Grand Prix and is in fifth place in the final standings. On the other hand, his teammate Marc Marquez was dominant with the same machine and eventually came out as the world champion - his sixth title in MotoGP.

Tardozzi said that Bagnaia is a very smart rider and since the Valencia test he has regained the right mentality so that the competition for the title this year can be more competitive.

"We are very happy, we know we have a very competitive Pecco," he said.

Bagnaia's main complaint against the Ducati Desmosedici GP25 was the lack of feeling on the front of the bike. However, the problem seems to have been resolved when trying the first version of the GP26 at the Valencia test last November.

Then in the Sepang test last week, Bagnaia performed a promising Sprint Race simulation. However, his position in the Ducati seat is not completely safe after the emergence of the issue that Ducati will recruit young racer Pedro Acosta from KTM.

Talks regarding a new contract at Ducati have so far also been uncertain because Ducati is said to be more interested in bringing Acosta to be Marquez's tandem.

The situation made Bagnaia have to look for options. He is also rumored to join Aprilia and become a colleague of Marco Bezzecchi, who is also a rider from Valentino Rossi's VR46 academy.