Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati have confirmed that Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez will receive the third factory bike from the Borgo Panigale-based team for the 2026 season.
The move to reward Marquez with the current spec comes after his impressive performance throughout the 2025 campaign.
The younger brother of championship leader Marc Marquez, Alex has proved to be the second-best rider over the course of the season so far, notching two Grand Prix victories and a single Sprint race win.
He currently sits 182 points behind the factory Ducati man in the riders’ standings, a position he has held for the majority of the season as he’s attempted to replicate the same results as his brother on race weekends.
READ MORE: Alex Marquez makes immediate Marc Marquez claim as Ducati rider earns first chance to win 2025 title
Nadia Padovani thinks it’s ‘about time’ Alex Marquez received a factory bike from Ducati
The Marquezes’ mother is sure that Alex will partner Marc at the factory team one day, and she has gotten her wish, albeit in a slightly different manner.
Alex will continue racing for Gresini, but the factory spec bike that is currently supplied to VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio will instead go in the direction of the Spaniard instead.
After confirmation of the move was broken on social media, Gresini team boss Nadia Padovani commented under the post, “About time too!”, highlighting the anticipation for the second-placed man in the standings to be rewarded for his efforts.
The move to swap the factory bikes from VR46 to Ducati comes after Valentino Rossi declined Ducati’s proposal to supply them with two current spec challengers for the 2026 season.
The Italian’s hesitancy to accept the deal is seen as a cost-cutting measure for his MotoGP team amid Rossi’s increasing involvement with VR46 at race weekends.
The move is sure to hinder Rossi’s team in the upcoming season. The GP25 has been utterly dominant in the current term, and despite the fact that not much will be changing in the GP26, it will have some sort of edge on the older-spec bike.
READ MORE: Alex Marquez reveals the Marc Marquez attribute he wishes he had despite career-best form
Ducati backed out of a Fermin Aldeguer commitment in favour of Alex Marquez
Due to Alex Marquez receiving the GP26, it means Ducati will have gone back on a ‘commitment’ to Fermin Aldeguer.
The Murcian rider arrived at the Italian stable under the impression that he would be receiving a factory Ducati during his second term in MotoGP
Despite being mightily impressive in his rookie premier class campaign, Aldeguer will instead move up to the GP25, which is currently being utilised as the factory spec bike for Ducati riders this year.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the 20-year-old, however. The GP25 is the same bike that Marc Marquez has used to carry himself to 25 wins across all formats in 2025.
He is within arm’s reach of securing his seventh MotoGP championship atop the bike that Aldeguer will race on next year.
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