Francesco Bagnaia Secures Exciting New Deal with Ducati in MotoGP

12 months ago By Sports Desk

Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia has further strengthened his prominent position on the MotoGP scene by signing an exciting new contract with the Ducati team until the end of 2026. The confirmation comes after back-to-back wins in the MotoGP championship in 2022 and 2023, ending a 15-year title drought for the Italian manufacturer.

Since making his Pramac Racing debut in 2019, Bagnaia has had an impressive journey through the Ducati ranks, culminating in his ascension to the factory team in 2021. 2022 and repeating last year’s feat, defeating rival Jorge Martin at the season finale in Valencia.

The announcement of Bagnaia’s contract extension, which initially took a little longer than expected, confirmed CEO Gigi Dall’Igna’s predictions that Ducati could renew the rider before the start of the 2024 season in Qatar. With this, the 27-year-old rider, now a two-time MotoGP champion, agrees to remain in Ducati’s structure until the end of 2026.

Bagnaia expressed his happiness with the words: “I am very happy to continue racing with the team of my dreams. I am honored to wear these colors. Together with Ducati, my team and all the people at Ducati Corse we have managed to achieve incredible things and the next three year, we will continue to do everything in order to achieve even more success.”

Dall’Igna also highlighted the importance of the Italian rider: “Pecco was the first Italian to win a world championship in MotoGP with an Italian bike. Together we brought a world championship to Bologna that we hadn’t won in 15 years. He is a two-time champion and has shown more than once that he deserves the top spot more than anyone.

Although the financial terms of the contract remain strictly confidential, according to Ducati’s payment policy, Bagnaia will receive a base salary of around seven million euros, which can be supplemented by a variable amount depending on the results. If they win their third championship in a row, the financial compensation can reach around 10 million euros.

With Bagnaia at the heart of Ducati, attention now turns to the team-mate who occupies the other spot in the factory team’s garage. The likes of Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and possibly Marc Marquez are vying for that position, given Marquez’s move to Gresini, where he’ll have last year’s Ducati at his disposal.

Additionally, recent reports indicate that Ducati has already signed promising Moto2 rider Fermin Aldeguer to the Pramac team for the 2025 season. Bagnaia’s contract extension until 2026 will make him the second rider on the grid currently after 2025, alongside KTM’s Brad Binder. Both of them, along with Honda’s Luca Marini and LCR’s Johann Zarco, are the only riders who still have a valid contract in MotoGP after 2024.