The truth from Bagnaia about leaving Ducati: "We'll talk about it soon"

Pecco Bagnaia heads into one of his most special weekends: the Mugello GP. A special circuit for the two-time MotoGP champion, where he has claimed great victories with Ducati. Now the rider from Chivasso arrives in a less-than-ideal situation, but he will try to deliver his best performance in front of the Italian fans.

The “most beautiful weekend of the season,” a place of great battles, successes, and training. There is a special bond between Bagnaia and the Tuscan track, as there is for every Italian rider. It will be scorching hot—both in terms of weather and the passion in the stands. And Pecco isn’t coming into this round in perfect condition, still feeling some neck discomfort after the crash at Montmeló. That won’t be what holds back Valentino Rossi’s pupil, but the feeling with the Desmosedici is in a critical phase.

His last victory dates back to the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, and since then he has collected as many as eight retirements. His fellow Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio is definitely in better shape with this package, so it’s all about adapting the GP26 to his needs as best as possible. A long process that can take time and whose outcome is by no means guaranteed. After all, it’s been over a year that the rider from Turin has been chasing that connection with the Red machine that brought him two world titles and runner-up in 2024. “We’re changing a lot of things to rediscover that previous balance. Step by step we’re getting there,” he told Sky Sport MotoGP.

Many argue that Marc Marquez’s arrival in the Ducati garage has affected the dip in performance. A theory Pecco has always rejected. “I felt good right away; we’ve worked a lot together. He’s also struggling with the GP26, so we’re trying to figure it out together. I’ve never viewed his arrival negatively.” However, their different riding styles push the engineers to follow different directions. “I like the bike to turn on the front, and he likes the bike to turn on the rear. For this reason, we ride a bit in opposite ways.”

The situation has become untenable for Bagnaia, to the point that he chose to sign with Aprilia and seek a change of scenery. Or perhaps Ducati preferred Pedro Acosta for the future? It’s not the time to discuss that yet, but there will be things to clarify… “Let’s enjoy the weekend and when we can, we’ll talk about it. When everything is official, we’ll discuss it.”

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