Ducati hits the brakes on Marc Marquez's renewal: "Everything needs to be evaluated"

In Borgo Panigale, the end of 2025 is celebrated with a mix of partying and planning. Ducati has just wrapped up another record-breaking MotoGP season, but the calendar doesn’t stop and the focus is already on 2026 and, further ahead, 2027. New rules, a new bike, and on the table one of the hottest topics: rider contract renewals, with Marc Marquez at the center of attention.

Ducati’s CEO, Claudio Domenicali, addressed the matter head-on, ruling nothing out. On the future of the champion from Cervera, he sent a clear message. "Marc is available on the market and obviously this will be an aspect we will take into consideration. He works very well with us and vice versa, but everything is still under evaluation." Words that neatly capture the direction: mutual willingness, yes, but with some factors still to be defined.

The Ducati boss praised Marc Marquez after a year he called exceptional. "Marc’s season was nothing short of incredible, because he won another World Championship six years after his last title." A return to the top that Ducati also wanted to celebrate off the track, with the unveiling of the Panigale V4 S Replica 93. A model that, according to Domenicali himself, "highlights the Ducati spirit in terms of technology and performance."

But Ducati isn’t focused solely on the present. Looking to 2026, the head of the Italian brand acknowledges a special motivation. "What motivates me most is a challenge I set for myself: when we won the first title with Pecco, I said I’d like to start a five-year cycle like Schumacher at Ferrari. That cycle ends next year, but we want to go further, aiming for a seventh and an eighth."

In between lies the 2027 season, which will be a watershed moment in MotoGP history. The regulations will change completely and force everyone to start from scratch. Domenicali admits to a certain frustration over the elimination of technical solutions that Ducati pioneered: "From a regulatory and political standpoint, the goal is to simplify the rules as much as possible to prevent Ducati from inventing something strange again," Domenicali added.

Finally, a remark about Bagnaia’s future, after a dismal MotoGP season. "The market exists for everyone, but for now it’s too early. I think we’ll start moving in February or March." Ducati, which in the past has set its rider lineups even before the season began, now prefers to wait until it has "all the pieces" in place. After all, it has a very promising talent pool, with Fermin Aldeguer already showing great things and Pedro Acosta ready to sign immediately.

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