Marco Bezzecchi
The future of Francesco Bagnaia in MotoGP will certainly be discussed throughout the 2026 season as he faces pressure to stay at Ducati.
The 2025 season did not go to plan at all for the Italian. The GP25 did not suit his riding style, despite its minimal differences from the GP24, and he found no feeling from the machine.
Bagnaia’s situation was confusing for everyone at Ducati, especially when his teammate, Marc Marquez, was dominating the championship on the same bike. The team made changes after Bagnaia vented his frustration over the GP25, but they made little difference.
Francesco Bagnaia failed to score points in 18 of his 44 races in 2025.
The 28-year-old retired from six of the last seven races in 2025, causing him to fall to fifth in the standings. After such a torrid campaign, rumours are circulating that Bagnaia could be out of Ducati at the end of his contract.
Reports have even suggested that Bagnaia’s fate is ‘sealed and decreed’. But Ducati will almost certainly give him the time to prove himself, and their love for him is not yet lost.
Ducati employees’ ‘remarkable’ love and celebration of Francesco Bagnaia suggests he will stay beyond 2026
Bagnaia is Ducati’s most successful rider in history, winning two MotoGP titles, the only person to do so with the Borgo Panigale factory.
The team have not forgotten that, and they were desperate to see him improve his form in 2025, but to no avail. Bagnaia wants to finish his career with Ducati, and their recent event suggested that the two parties are not cutting ties anytime soon.
Francesco Bagnaia on his MotoGP future
A report from MOW states that Ducati employees showed ‘remarkable’ love towards Bagnaia as the team celebrated their third clean sweep in MotoGP in Bologna.
He was ‘celebrated like no other’, which would suggest that the relationship between Bagnaia and Ducati is far from broken. It would seem that the team are not giving up on their golden talent just yet; it is the biggest hint yet that Bagnaia is staying beyond 2026.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
What Francesco Bagnaia must do to save his Ducati career
Bagnaia insists that ‘nothing has changed’ when asked about his Ducati future. He is determined to stay beyond 2026, but he knows that he cannot afford a repeat of his dismal 2025 season.
Bagnaia says he must ‘rediscover’ his feeling on the bike in 2026. His ‘serenity’ has never been lost, but he must find the right balance from the machine.
The GP26 should give him a much better feeling than this year’s Desmosedici. Early signs in post-season testing were encouraging, and Bagnaia will want to keep that going into pre-season at Sepang.
Everyone at Ducati will want their two-time champion to succeed in 2026. But if he cannot improve his results, the team may have to make a difficult decision, especially when the likes of Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo could be available.
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