MotoGP’s 2026 season-opener will be the biggest race of Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati career

Add as preferred source on Google

Francesco Bagnaia may be nearing the end of his MotoGP career with Ducati, depending on his performance in 2026.

The two-time champion had a torrid time this year and couldn’t figure out why his form dropped off just a matter of months after competing for a title.

Ducati kept things quiet about what exactly was bothering him, and it created a bit of a storm in the media.

If anything, it can’t have done Bagnaia many favours. He’ll be hoping that next year, he can have a solid campaign so that he has a few options in the MotoGP rider market.

Luca Marini has backed Bagnaia to redeem himself and thinks that he’ll be the only person to be on level ground with teammate Marc Marquez in 2026.

Yamaha could pair Bagnaia with Toprak Razgatlioglu for 2027, especially if Ducati opts against renewing his contract ahead of the new regulations.

READ MORE: Davide Tardozzi admits Ducati could not give Francesco Bagnaia the ‘maximum help’ in 2025

The 2026 Thailand Grand Prix is the biggest race of Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati career

Even an Aprilia boss found watching Bagnaia ‘sad’ in 2025, and couldn’t believe how much he struggled with his bike.

Just two wins represented his lowest total since the 2020 season, when he was in his second-ever season with Pramac.

Ducati made the biggest mistake of 2025 by favouring Marquez and his title charge too heavily over their long-time superstar.

It might have made the Italian rider’s challenge even more difficult. Heading into 2026, he’s under a lot of pressure.

The season-opener in Thailand could be his biggest race for Ducati yet, as being beaten by Marquez, with next to no testing, in his first race for nearly six months would be borderline embarrassing.

If he can beat him, it’ll be a reminder of exactly what he can do and go a long way towards securing his future.

READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia’s ideal replacement is already under Ducati’s nose, and he knows how to prove it

Who could Ducati sign to replace Francesco Bagnaia in 2027?

Ducati would receive plenty of calls if word got out that they were looking to replace Bagnaia for the 2027 campaign.

The most obvious candidate would be in-house, with Fermin Aldeguer having been prepped for a seat by Luigi Dall’Igna, who is a big fan of his.

Elsewhere, if Yamaha continue to struggle, Fabio Quartararo could be looking for a gig elsewhere, and Ducati would offer him the chance to win immediately.

But, having just finished runner-up, it would be naive to ignore Alex Marquez, too, who already knows the Ducati bike well, having been at Gresini for three seasons.