Ducati’s Reluctance to Extend Bagnaia’s Contract Beyond 2024 MotoGP Season
The Ducati factory team has revealed it is in talks with the MotoGP world champion’s agent Francesco Bagnaia over a new deal, but is “in no rush” to sign the contract.
Bagnaia ended Ducati’s 15-year drought in 2022 when he won the championship, beating Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, the Italian marque’s first title since 2007. In 2023, Bagnaia successfully defended the title, holding off Ducati rival Jorge Martin of Pramac Ra. exciting clash in the last race of the season.
With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Banjaya has become a key player in the 2025 rider market – although he is unlikely to move away from Ducati.
Team manager Davide Tardozzi has updated contract talks with the world champion following pre-season testing in which Banya dominated the 2024 Ducati.
“We will discuss the final details with your manager,” Tardozzi said. “We are in no rush. Peko is now focused on the 2024 championship and seeing how the first race in Losail goes.
“But we are trying to finalize things as quickly as possible. There is no deadline. Both parties want to stay together, Peko wants to stay at Ducati and we also want him to stay with us. So I think it is a matter of time.
“We will try to do this as soon as possible, but again, there is no need to rush.”
Only four riders entered the 2024 season with contracts beyond this year: Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta at KTM and Johan Zarco and Luca Marini at Honda.
Ducati has a list of riders looking for a place in the factory team in 2025, including Eneo Bastianini, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi and new Gresini signing Marco Marquez.
Had Martin won the championship in 2023, he would have been automatically promoted to the factory Ducati team.
Bastianini, who replaced Martin in the first team in 2023, will stay for 2024 and appears to have found his form again in pre-season testing after last year’s injury-plagued campaign.
Bagnaia will begin its second title defense in Qatar on March 10.
