Valentino Rossi stays with Ducati: the VR46 team renews—deal details

Valentino Rossi’s team and the Bologna manufacturer will continue their partnership: the announcement came this morning.

No surprise here: the VR46 Racing Team and Ducati have renewed the contract under which the Tavullia squad will continue as the Factory Supported Team of the Borgo Panigale company for another three years. The parties had signed the first agreement of this kind in 2025, and the new one will run until 2029.

After Pramac Racing decided to accept Yamaha’s offer, Ducati chose Valentino Rossi’s structure to establish a closer technical collaboration, even though Gresini’s fantastic results in 2025 allowed Nadia Padovani’s outfit to secure a factory-spec Desmosedici in the garage for 2026, and that will remain the case in the coming years.

In the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team there will still be only one “factory” bike, which will receive updates over the course of the year; the other non-factory Ducati will run in standard configuration. Both will be supported by Ducati technical staff already embedded within the team.

While the details of the technical partnership don’t seem set to change, Valentino Rossi’s team lineup will. With Fabio Di Giannantonio moving to the factory KTM team and Franco Morbidelli possibly heading to the World Superbike Championship, Fermin Aldeguer and Nicolò Bulega will step in. These are two riders in whom the Borgo Panigale manufacturer places great trust.

There had been rumors of an Aprilia inquiry about a potential partnership with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team—perhaps a preemptive move to be ready in case of issues continuing with Trackhouse (there were leaks about Honda’s interest). However, Valentino Rossi’s squad has always prioritized continuing with Ducati. The deal is done, and the partnership will carry on through 2029.

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