Bagnaia inks new Ducati deal

The MotoGP factory Ducati squad has secured two-time MotoGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia’s services for another two years, the new deal seeing the 27-year-old Italian remain with the Lenovo Ducati team until the end of 2026.

Announced ahead of this weekend’s season opener in Qatar, the new deal will allow Bagnaia to launch his championship defence free of any distractions in a move he’s described as “fantastic” and “a source of pride.”

Riding the Desmosedici, Bagnaia became the first Italian to claim a modern-era MotoGP title riding an Italian bike and was the man responsible for breaking Ducati’s 15-year rider’s championship drought when he won the 2022 MotoGP World Championship.

“Together with Ducati, my team, and all the guys at Ducati Corse, we’ve achieved incredible things,” he said. “In these three more years ahead of us, we’ll continue to give our best to achieve as much success as possible.”

Ducati Corse’s General Manager and tech guru Gigi Dall’Igna said the deal means the team can look forward to the next three seasons with confidence.

“He is a two-time world champion and has proven on more than one occasion that he truly deserves the number one on the fairing of his bike,” Dall’Igna said. “He is in perfect harmony with his bike and team [and] for these reasons, it was natural for us to want to continue with him.”

With all but now three riders’ contracts set to expire at the end of 2024, the MotoGP silly season is expected to start earlier than ever, with rumours and deal-making often disturbing riders’ focus on the job at hand.

Bagnaia joins Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder and Repsol Honda’s Luca Marini as the only riders who have a contract beyond the end of 2024. Binder signed a three-year contract extension at the start of last year which will see him remain within KTM ranks until the end of 2026, while Marini has agreed to a two-year contract after defecting from the VR46 outfit, meaning the Italian is secure at the factory Honda squad until the end of 2025.