Ducati and Francesco Bagnaia Officially Split

JAKARTA - Ducati Corse has confirmed that it will end its cooperation with Francesco Bagnaia at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season after eight years together.

The certainty was conveyed by Ducati Corse through their official statement on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Bagnaia left the team after successfully giving them two consecutive world championships.

"After eight seasons of a project and a common goal, six of which with the Ducati Lenovo Team, Pecco and Ducati Corse will take different paths at the end of this year," read a statement on the Ducati Corse website.

The decision was quite surprising because Bagnaia is one of the important figures in Ducati's rise in MotoGP. His position then became dimmer after the arrival of Marc Marquez.

The 29-year-old Italian racer started his career with Ducati in 2019 after rising from Moto2 and joining the Pramac Racing Satellite team. His continued performance made him promoted to the Factory team in the 2021 season.

Only a year later, he immediately succeeded in bringing Ducati to an end to a 15-year title drought by winning the 2022 MotoGP. He then managed to defend the title in the following season.

In 2024, Bagnaia again competed in the world championship title race. However, his fight to become a three-time champion in a row was thwarted by Jorge Martin, who was then crowned champion with Ducati Pramac.

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said Bagnaia will remain one of the most influential figures in their team's history.

"The 2022 title has a special meaning for me because it is the culmination of the restructuring process within Ducati Corse that allowed us to return to the forefront after a very difficult period," said Domenicali.

Desmosedici GP and Bagnaia are the most successful pair in the history of Borgo Panigale in MotoGP. In addition to two world championships, Bagnaia is also successful with 31 wins, 63 podiums, and 28 pole positions.

Ducati Corse General Manager, Luigi Dall'Igna, said that Bagnaia's journey will always be part of the team's history.

"Pecco will forever be a champion in the history of Borgo Panigale and in my personal history. With Ducati, he realized his childhood dream and we also realized our dream with him," said Dall'Igna.

The vacant position left by Bagnaia was officially filled by a young rider, Pedro Acosta. The Spanish rider will tandem with his compatriot, Marc Marquez, who has just signed a two-year contract until the end of 2028.