Sponsor battle in the Ducati garage: doors closed to Red Bull

Ducati is in the race to defend the MotoGP title and will do so again in the 2027 season, when young talent Pedro Acosta will line up alongside Marc Marquez. The arrival of the Spanish rider had opened the door to the possibility of seeing the Red Bull brand in the Red garage. But the latest rumors point in another direction... at least for the moment.

The Borgo Panigale factory has a commercial agreement with the Monster Energy brand that will be difficult to terminate early. At least until 2028, when Red Bull will finally be able to “stamp” the Ducatis of Marquez and Acosta. According to manager and analyst Ricard Jovè, the Austrian energy drink company “will not sponsor Ducati until 2028 due to contractual incompatibilities.” Recent reports continue to place the American company Monster within the Ducati structure for the next MotoGP season as well.

It’s important to clarify the situation linking Marc Marquez with Red Bull. The change did not occur when he moved from Honda to Ducati. The Spanish rider maintained his relationship with the Mateschitz family brand until December 2024, when he raced with Gresini Racing. In 2025 Ducati gave him an official bike with the factory team. At that point, the Cervera phenomenon had to cut his personal commercial deals with Red Bull, since the Red team already had an existing partnership with Monster.

In December 2024, Marquez publicly explained the situation during a Red Bull event. “This is my last event with them. Ducati has another sponsor, so we can’t continue. Out of respect for Red Bull, I won’t have a personal sponsor. I want to thank the Red Bull family and I hope we will remain friends.” Statements that suggest a “see you later” rather than a goodbye. In fact, the nine-time world champion did not switch to Monster as a personal sponsor. He simply stopped carrying an energy drink brand on his apparel.

Pedro Acosta’s arrival seemed like it could accelerate Red Bull’s debut in the Ducati garage, since they have supported the rider since his early MotoGP days and even before. Instead, no: in 2027 it will still be Monster branding the Borgo Panigale company. Ducati and Red Bull have already joined forces in other categories, such as motocross. But to seal a deal in MotoGP as well, we will have to wait until 2028.

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