Ducati and Pecco Bagnaia part ways—it’s official: “You were my dream”

Ducati has officially announced that Pecco Bagnaia will leave the team at the end of the 2026 season. The news that the two-time MotoGP world champion would be parting ways with the Borgo Panigale team had been circulating for some time following last season’s struggles, and it is now official. Ducati thus bids farewell to the most successful rider in its history: Bagnaia won two World Championships in 2022 and 2023, claiming 31 Grand Prix victories and securing 63 podium finishes during his time with the team. Six years in total—eight, counting his two years with the Pramac team. In 2027, he will move to Aprilia, where he will form a formidable team alongside Marco Bezzecchi.

“After eight seasons of success and shared goals, Ducati Corse and Francesco Bagnaia will go their separate ways at the end of the 2026 MotoGP Championship. The Valencia GP will be the last in which Pecco will race under the colors of the Ducati Lenovo Team. A shared journey of growth, built on trust, commitment, and mutual support, which in 2022 brought the riders’ title back to Borgo Panigale, 15 years after the previous one (Stoner 2007).”

“A successful sporting partnership, but also one of great human value for a rider who has grown both professionally and personally within the Ducati Corse pits. An extraordinary journey that makes Pecco, to date, the most successful rider on the Desmosedici GP,” reads the statement from Ducati, which will field Marc Marquez (who officially announced his contract renewal on Tuesday) and Pedro Acosta on the factory team next season.

These are Bagnaia’s words: “You were my dream, and you’ve become the most beautiful reality ever. When I arrived in MotoGP with Ducati, I thought I’d already achieved something indescribable, but you’ve made me believe in it even more. Eight years, 31 wins, 63 podiums, 28 pole positions, two World Championship runner-up finishes, and two world titles—this is the story we’ve written, and it’s ours alone. We’ve grown together; we’ve weathered every kind of situation together without ever giving up, and we’ve always pushed each other to give our all. And you—who are one of the best parts of me—have given me the most exciting moments of my career; you’ve made me a better rider, a happy guy, and we’ve had so much fun.”

“Last season, it was hard to get along; we clashed more than we would have liked, and something started to change. I feel the need to start over with a new challenge, but I’ll never forget what we were. You’re a part of me, and you always will be.”