Ducati confirms Bagnaia will leave after 2026 season

Ducati has officially announced that two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia will leave the factory team at the end of the 2026 season, ending an eight-year partnership. The move, confirmed on Wednesday, paves the way for KTM rider Pedro Acosta to join Marc Marquez at Ducati in 2027 and allows Aprilia to finalize a deal to sign Bagnaia.

The announcement formalizes a rider market shift that has been anticipated for months. Bagnaia, who joined Ducati's satellite Pramac squad in 2019 before being promoted to the factory team in 2021, became the manufacturer's first champion since Casey Stoner in 2007 by winning titles in 2022 and 2023. With 31 race wins for Ducati, he is the most successful rider in the history of the Desmosedici motorcycle.

In a statement, Ducati MotoGP general manager Gigi Dall'Igna praised Bagnaia's contributions. "Pecco is one of those riders with whom the spark ignited immediately," Dall'Igna said. "We sought him out and wanted him from a very young age to build a project around him. He's fast and, above all, clever. The goal was to bring the Desmosedici GP to its full potential. We achieved it."

However, Bagnaia's position changed significantly with...