He's Red": with Tardozzi's shout, here's the Marc Marquez-Ducati contract extension

A pure formality: Marc Marquez continues with Ducati through 2028, thus beginning together the new MotoGP 850 era.

Yesterday the Pirelli test, today the official announcement. And it starts with the famous phrase “It’s Red” used by Davide Tardozzi last year at Mugello. The story between Marc Marquez and Ducati will continue for another two years, namely in the first two-year period of 2027–2028 of the new MotoGP era with the 850cc bikes. No big surprise, it’s confirmation that’s been known for some time, although as the months passed a rumor surfaced about a possible clause tied to his physical condition, still not perfect (). We’ll see about that, but what we also observed in Brno is that Marquez, while not yet fully sorted, is becoming the man to beat again and Ducati doesn’t want to let him slip away. With the multi-time champion from Cervera, the announcement season kicks off—who will be next?

Red will still be his color: Ducati Corse announces the renewal of its agreement with Marc Márquez for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, strengthening a technical and sporting project that will continue to see the Spanish rider as a leading figure with the Ducati Lenovo Team in the MotoGP World Championship. The relationship between the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and the current World Champion began at the start of 2024, achieving the ultimate result in 2025 with the Ducati Lenovo Team: 14 Sprint race wins and 11 GP victories—10 of them as one-two finishes, for seven consecutive rounds—securing the Riders’ Title with five GPs to spare and the all-time record for points scored by a rider in a single MotoGP season (545 points). Six years after his last world title, Márquez’s comeback was unprecedented, ranking among the greatest feats in sports history. In this 2026, a symbolic year for Ducati as it celebrates its Centenary, Marc and the Ducati Lenovo Team further intertwined their destiny by both reaching, on the same day at the Hungarian GP, the milestone of 100 victories. Triple 100: like the years of the Borgo Panigale brand, like Marc’s career wins across the World Championship categories (74 in MotoGP, 16 in Moto2 and 10 in 125cc), and the successes of the Ducati Factory Team in MotoGP since 2003.

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“I’m red. I’m really happy about this new agreement with the Ducati Lenovo Team and to continue being part of this family,” is the first comment from the reigning MotoGP champion. “When I decided to come to Ducati, I was convinced this was the most competitive project of all. They believed in me and we built a relationship based on trust and hard work. With this renewal, they’ve reaffirmed that commitment once again, respecting my timing and giving me the peace of mind I needed to make the right decision. In our first year together, we fought for the title and we won it: an invaluable result that confirms the path we chose was the right one. I keep racing because I love this sport and I want to commit to achieving even more ambitious goals. I’m convinced this is the right place to do it. As long as I’m here, I’ll give everything I have to paint the future red.”

“Trust: that’s where the relationship between Ducati and Marc starts,” added Luigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager. “He sought us out first, then chose us, and today we’re happy to say we’re designing a future—red more than rosy—together. Marc has always put his passion, his motivation, and his being a true competitor above everything in the choices that have guided him in his experience with the Ducati Lenovo Team. He placed his trust in the entire working group: that filled us with pride and motivated us to always give our utmost to support him. As an engineer, working with Marc impressed me. He brought the Desmosedici GP to peak performance, enhancing every component. Our ambitions haven’t changed, and I’m pleased to experience—both sportingly and personally—a new chapter of this Ducati story together with Marc.”