Francesco Bagnaia will leave Ducati at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season after an eight-year stint with the Italian manufacturer, the team said on Wednesday.
Bagnaia joined Ducati as a rookie in 2019 and ended a 15-year wait for a riders’ title by securing the 2022 championship, the team’s first since that of Casey Stoner in 2007. He is now Ducati’s most successful rider, with 31 victories, 62 podiums and 28 pole positions.
Known as “Pecco”, Bagnaia’s final appearance for the team will be at the Valencia Grand Prix, scheduled from November 27 to 29.
“We’ve grown together, we’ve weathered every kind of situation together without ever giving up and we’ve always spurred each other on to give our all,” Bagnaia said in a post on Instagram.
“I feel the need to start afresh with a new challenge, but I’ll never forget what we’ve been. You’re part of me, and you always will be.”
Bagnaia has faced a challenging period over the past 18 months at Ducati, where he has been overshadowed by Marquez since the Spaniard joined the factory team in 2025. On Tuesday, seven-time world champion Marc Marquez extended his contract with Ducati through 2028.
Marquez dominated last season en route to securing a seventh title, while Bagnaia finished fifth, trailing his teammate by 257 points, after previously being Ducati’s leading rider.
“Sporting results tell only part of Pecco’s value: his clean and elegant riding style (I like to call him ‘Il Pinturicchio’ — the little painter) together with his great fairness on track — combined with remarkable determination when overtaking — made Ducatisti fall in love with him,” Ducati Motor Holding CEO Claudio Domenicali said in a statement.
“On top of that, he is a great professional and a great person away from racing.”
Bagnaia will arrive at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after claiming his first win of the season in the Czech Grand Prix sprint last week. He was unable to secure a double, however, as he was overtaken late in Sunday’s race by Marquez and pole-sitter Ai Ogura, eventually finishing third after leading for several laps.
He heads into the next round trailing championship leader Marco Bezzecchi by 53 points.
- Latest
- Trending
