Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia’s life outside of MotoGP from net worth to race number

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Francesco Bagnaia is a multiple-time premier class champion and also one of the most popular MotoGP riders, so here is everything you need to know about the Ducati pilot.

Fans around the world are flocking to follow Bagnaia after emerging as an exemplary rider in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. He has also enjoyed success on unfancied Mahindra bikes in Moto3 and sealed the Italian’s maiden world championship with the Moto2 title for 2018.

Despite Bagnaia going on to be the most consistent MotoGP rider, plus a multi-time premier class champion, the hard work he endured in the lightweight and intermediate classes laid a foundation for fans to back a new rider as they start to transition away from Valentino Rossi.

Francesco Bagnaia completed MotoGP’s biggest title comeback to win for Ducati in 2022

Bagnaia was a natural choice for many Rossi fans as they looked for their next MotoGP hero. The Italian is a product of Rossi’s VR46 Riders Academy and became its first graduate to win a premier class championship with his 2022 MotoGP title aboard a Ducati in historic fashion.

In a stunning season, Bagnaia sealed Ducati’s first MotoGP title in 15 years after overcoming a grim 91-point deficit to Yamaha rival Fabio Quartararo after 10 of the 20 rounds. It was the biggest title comeback MotoGP witnessed with the points system it used from 1993 to 2022.

MotoGP crowning Bagnaia as its premier class champion in 2022 further made him only the second rider to win a title with Ducati in either the 500cc or MotoGP eras. He was even the first Italian to clinch the riders’ champion since Bagnaia’s mentor, Rossi, won the 2009 title.

Even the introduction of Sprint Races in the 2023 MotoGP season did not stop Bagnaia from defending his title, either, as the Italian remained atop the world. It further justified Ducati’s decision to promote Bagnaia into their factory rider line-up in 2021 to go beside Jack Miller.

Bagnaia had started his MotoGP career aboard satellite Ducati machinery at Pramac Racing, with his debut arriving in the 2019 Grand Prix of Qatar. It was with P2 in the 2020 Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera at Misano that Bagnaia got his first podium in MotoGP.

Francesco Bagnaia won Moto3 races on an unfancied Mahindra and the 2018 Moto2 title

Podiums and race wins were rare feats during Bagnaia’s Moto3 career, but he still hauled an unfancied Mahindra bike to two wins in his final year in the lightweight class. Eight wins in 18 races, plus four further podiums, then saw Bagnaia win the 2018 Moto2 title for Team VR46.

Moto2 glory further marked Bagnaia’s maiden championship since his career started to take off in the 2011 CEV 125cc Championship. He finished third in the 2011 Moto3 Junior World Championship standings and Bagnaia also got third place in the 2012 CEV Moto3 standings.

So, with that in mind, MotoGP News has taken a deep dive into everything that you need to know about Bagnaia and what the current Ducati rider’s life outside of the paddock is like…

Who is Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia?

Francesco Bagnaia is a multiple-time world champion with MotoGP and Moto2 successes by the Italian motorcycle racer’s name. Currently, Bagnaia races with the factory Ducati team in MotoGP after joining the Bologna Bullets in 2021 after two years riding with Pramac Racing.

How old is Francesco Bagnaia? Where was he born and what is his nationality?

Francesco Bagnaia was born on 14 January 1997 – making him 28 years old.

Bagnaia is among the latest crop of Italian motorcycle racers dominating MotoGP, having been born in the historic city of Turin, set in the northwest of the European country.

How tall is Francesco Bagnaia and how much does he weigh?

Measuring above the average height of a MotoGP rider (1.72m or 5 ft 6 in), Francesco Bagnaia stands at a height of 1.76 metres tall – which converts to 5 ft 9 in.

Bagnaia is also the average weight for a rider, weighing in at 64kg or 10st 1lbs. He is one of seven riders of the same weight, with only six drivers weighing less.

Why is Francesco Bagnaia called ‘Pecco’?

Francesco Bagnaia has his sister, Carola Bagnaia, to thank for the MotoGP rider’s nickname, ‘Pecco’. It is not simply a contraction of his first name but rather what Carola would call him whilst kids as she struggled to pronounce ‘Francesco’ and the siblings are still very close.

Bagnaia once explained the origins of why he is called ‘Pecco’, detailing: “My sister is only 20 months older than me. When we were young, calling me ‘Francesco’ was difficult for her. So, she was calling me, ‘Pecco, Pecco, Pecco!’ every morning, like this, and I liked it.”

Why Francesco Bagnaia chose 63 as his permanent MotoGP race number

When Francesco Bagnaia graduated to MotoGP with Pramac Racing in 2019, he chose 63 as the Italian’s permanent race number and would retain it upon moving to Ducati in 2021. He briefly dropped the number during the 2023 and 2024 seasons to use No1 as the champion.

MotoGP has used permanent rider race numbers since the 1993 500cc season. But Bagnaia became only the fourth rider to switch to the No1 plate in the MotoGP era and the first one since Casey Stoner in 2012 as it offered him a chance to pay tribute to previous champions.

Bagnaia has often tried to pay tribute to past riders with his race numbers all throughout his career. He first ran with the No41 plate in Bagnaia’s junior career as a lifelong fan of Noriyuki Haga, before running No21 in Moto3 after Troy Bayliss and later doubling it to 42 for Moto2.

How good is Francesco Bagnaia? Who has praised the MotoGP champion?

Francesco Bagnaia is regarded as one of the best of his generation and has proven himself to be a dominant force at the front of the MotoGP grid. Consistency is often his trademark skill, as well as being an unrelenting beast on the brakes who can be impossible to out-brake.

Few can leave it as late as Bagnaia and still make the apex of a corner, with the Italian also a very metronomic rider with incredible consistency in his lap times. He can even extract what the bike is capable of producing in any condition and at different tracks amid great pressure.

Pundits like Neil Hodgson and Michael Laverty have also flooded praise at Bagnaia’s feet for his ability. Hodgson, the 2003 Superbike world champion, has hailed Bagnaia’s ‘sensational’ performances in MotoGP and Laverty has lauded the Italian for being able to be aggressive.

“I loved it,” Laverty told TNT Sports after battling 2024 MotoGP title rival Jorge Martin in the Grand Prix of Malaysia. “It was one of those battles we’ve been itching for. They were going head-to-head and you can see Pecco was ultra-aggressive, which he doesn’t tend to do.”

Even Valentino Rossi finds joy in watching Bagnaia at the top of his game, with his mentee’s qualifying speed one area that the seven-time MotoGP champion has praised. Rossi said in 2021 after Bagnaia took pole position for the Grand Prix of the Americas by 0.348 seconds:

“Pecco is impressive. It’s his third pole position in a row with a stunning lap. He’s in great, great shape. It’s great fun to look at him ride – it’s a great pleasure because he rides the Ducati at the top. It’s a long, long time that I don’t see a Ducati like this.”

Meet Francesco Bagnaia’s wife, Domizia Castagnini

Francesco Bagnaia and his long-term girlfriend, Domizia Castagnini, got married on July 20, 2024. The couple have been together since 2016 but have known each other since 2011 as Domizia was first a childhood friend of Francesco’s sister, Carola, before they started dating.

Domizia and Carola built a friendship in high school yet the niece of legendary Juventus and Italy footballer, Gianfranco Leoncini, rarely interacted with Francesco then. They only started dating in 2016 and Francesco crashed his car driving Domizia home from a Turin restaurant.

Francesco Bagnaia’s net worth

Francesco Bagnaia is among the highest-paid riders on the MotoGP grid after signing a new contract for Ducati in March 2024 worth £6m per season, plus £4m in performance-related bonuses. The contract will further enhance Bagnaia’s net worth estimated to be just £3.5m.

Francesco Bagnaia’s Grand Prix career racing stats

As of the end of the 2024 MotoGP season, Francesco Bagnaia had sealed two premier class titles for his sole world championship crowns to date. His first MotoGP race win also arrived in Bagnaia’s first campaign with the factory Ducati team at the Grand Prix of Aragon in 2021.