Two Ducati rivals want to sign Francesco Bagnaia despite his poor form in 2025

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Francesco Bagnaia is attracting interest in the MotoGP rider market despite struggling for much of the 2025 season. Clearly, there are those who haven’t forgotten what he’s achieved.

Bagnaia no longer has a realistic chance of finishing in the top three in the championship. He crashed out of the Portuguese GP as Marco Bezzecchi, now almost certain to fill the bronze medal position, won.

It’s the first time Bagnaia has missed out on the top two since 2020, when he finished 16th as a sophomore for Ducati satellite Pramac.

But that streak of four straight seasons in either first or second commands respect. Bagnaia has taken three poles and won four races this year, offering occasional glimpses of the form that won him the 2022 and 2023 world titles.

Honda and Yamaha are interested in Francesco Bagnaia

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, both Bagnaia and Ducati are at pains to show one another the ‘maximum’ support. But that doesn’t guarantee that he will stay beyond the end of 2026, when his contract expires.

Indeed, the Italian outlet warns that interest from Honda and Yamaha, the two most successful manufacturers on the MotoGP grid, ‘shouldn’t be overlooked’.

Yamaha were tentatively linked with Bagnaia earlier in the season. With Fabio Quartararo expected to change teams, the #63 could be a superstar replacement.

Meanwhile, Honda are chasing Pedro Acosta and publicly pursued Jorge Martin earlier this year. It’s clear they want a star on their bike for 2027, four years after Marc Marquez left.

Who could replace Francesco Bagnaia at Ducati?

While Bagnaia has little incentive to leave Ducati for 2026, 2027 is a different matter with major regulations likely to shake up the pecking order.

If he’s receptive to the interest from the Japanese giants and chooses to leave – rather than being pushed, perhaps – then who could replace him?

• READ MORE: Davide Tardozzi shares whether Pecco Bagnaia is showing ‘a lack of motivation’ at the end of 2025

The standout candidate is Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer. Aldeguer is ‘100% sure’ of a Ducati seat if he continues to impress.

However, Luigi Dall’Igna will also assess the market. There are suggestions that Quartararo is Ducati’s top target, potentially setting up an inadvertent seat swap with Bagnaia.