Ducati wants a fitting finale with Bagnaia: “Pecco has everything he needs”

A final year in red to forget for the two-time MotoGP champion, but Domenicali is hoping he can produce one last spark before his definitive farewell.

It is truly a shame that Francesco Bagnaia’s long stint with Ducati is ending on such a sour note. After winning titles and making history together, the situation has become extremely difficult for both sides. The rider’s performances are far below expectations, which is causing him enormous frustration—sometimes vented in front of the cameras with comments suggesting that the lack of results is not entirely his fault.

Although he has stressed that the team is working hard to support him, something is not clicking. Other riders are performing better on the same bike, and it is unclear why Pecco cannot match their level. If not Marc Márquez’s, then at least that of the other Ducati riders ahead of him.

At the last Malaysian Grand Prix, the three-time world champion suffered yet another disappointment. He had hoped that at a track he knows well, like Sepang, he would finally be competitive again. That did not happen: the weekend ended with a 13th-place finish in the race, leaving the rider deeply frustrated.

Speaking to Sky Sport MotoGP, Bagnaia said that the spark that had enabled him to become competitive again in 2025, between the Misano test and the Japanese Grand Prix—where he had a perfect weekend—was no longer there. Davide Tardozzi, Ducati team manager, responded bluntly: "I don't know what he's referring to".

Tensions between the two sides are running high, even as both try to look ahead: Pecco cannot wait for his time in red to come to an end so he can reset and try to relaunch his career at Aprilia, while Ducati is focused on trying to win the 2026 world title with Marc Márquez in the closing stages of the championship.

Claudio Domenicali, Ducati’s CEO, tried to calm things down during an interview with Sky Sport MotoGP at the EICMA trade fair in Milan: "I still believe Pecco lacks nothing, neither talent nor a good relationship with the team. We haven’t managed to get to the bottom of this. I like to remember the Pecco of 2022 and 2023, and the eleven races he won in 2024. I’m extraordinarily fond of him. Sometimes racing is just like that: things get stuck. A spectacular result in Qatar, Portimão or Valencia would be the best way to bring this wonderful story—which has given world titles to both him and us—to a fitting close. We’ll see; we’ll do our best".

Indeed, Bagnaia’s story with Ducati deserves a fitting ending. It is surreal to see the rider from Piedmont struggling to finish in the top 10, or making it there only thanks to others’ mistakes or problems. We will see whether he and the team can find a way to raise their level a little in the final stretch of the championship before saying goodbye in Valencia.

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