Tension between Gresini and VR46: "Like two kids bickering"

Fermin Aldeguer will race for the VR46 team from next MotoGP season. The Spanish rider’s move from the Gresini garage to Valentino Rossi’s has created some tension between Ducati’s two satellite teams, to the point that Nadia Padovani sounded out the possibility of signing a new deal with Honda. But in the end, the Faenza-based team decided to continue with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, even though the official announcement is still pending.

It has been a tense few weeks between Gresini Racing and Ducati, with the satellite team founded by Fausto Gresini coming close to an agreement with HRC. In fact, some ill feeling arose when news spread of Aldeguer’s move to VR46 from 2027, a deal assisted by Ducati itself. That was enough to spark friction between Gresini and VR46, with the Emilia-based brand called in to play peacemaker for the sake of harmony. "It’s like constantly having to mediate between two children who keep arguing. It’s very exhausting," a Ducati team executive confirmed to Motorsport.com Spain.

Alex Marquez’s future is tied to KTM, while Fermin Aldeguer’s is with the Tavullia squad. This forces Nadia Padovani to fill a significant gap within the garage. That’s precisely why Gresini hoped to keep number 54. A goal that wasn’t achieved for several reasons. First of all, let’s not forget that VR46 inherited the status of a factory-supported team from the manufacturer, previously held by Pramac.

The Tavullia team has signed a two-year contract (2025 and 2026) with an option to extend for a further three years (2027, 2028, and 2029), which was considered a mere formality and has already been confirmed, despite Aprilia’s courtship. Ducati’s “factory-supported” label in MotoGP guarantees VR46 a series of advantages over the other Ducati customer teams. However, these advantages have not translated into results or greater visibility over the past two years.

In 2024, Marc Marquez and his brother Alex finished the MotoGP season ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli in the riders’ standings. In 2025, Alex Marquez secured the runner-up spot in the world championship, with three wins and a total of twelve podiums (Diggia sixth and Morbidelli seventh).

Fermin Aldeguer chose to move to VR46 thanks to a salary increase, which will be covered by Borgo Panigale. He will also have the latest-spec bike at his disposal, the same as Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta. However, it is expected that all Ducati prototypes will be practically identical in 2027, when the new MotoGP technical regulations come into effect. Further developments over the course of the season will then determine the difference between factory riders and satellite riders.

In the meantime, Nadia Padovani’s team is gearing up to form its new rider line-up for the 2027–2028 biennium. Daniel Holgado is reportedly almost a done deal, while alongside him could be Enea Bastianini, eager to return to the team with which he claimed his first MotoGP victories. Di Giannantonio is on course for confirmation with Valentino Rossi’s outfit, after a strong start to the 2026 season.