Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi and VR46 revealed their new-look bike for the 2026 MotoGP season at a ceremony in Rome on Wednesday.
While Pramac, who kicked off MotoGP launch season, have largely stuck with the same livery, VR46 have changed their colour scheme. The fluorescent yellow remains but the ‘elegant’ white gives way to an ‘aggressive’ black.
VR46 are coming off a third-place finish in the teams’ standings, having scored 13 podiums in 44 races last season. But Fabio di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli were the only Ducati riders not to win a race.
What do you think of VR46’s 2026 livery change?
All three of their victories came in the 2023 season through Marco Bezzecchi, but he left to join Aprilia. VR46 received a factory-spec GP25 from Ducati last year, only to be upstaged by the Gresini duo of Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer on year-old bikes.
Valentino Rossi says VR46 need to be more consistent this year
Rossi’s ability to attend races and team events has been limited due to his own commitments in sportscars, but he was present in the Italian capital on Wednesday.
He made clear that he expects victories from his riders this year. Di Giannantonio will ride a GP26, while Rossi turned down a factory bike for Morbidelli.
The MotoGP legend says there was too much fluctuation in his team’s performance last year. For instance, there were five Grands Prix where both bikes missed out on the top six.
Where should Valentino Rossi take his VR46 team in 2027?
“We had a lot of good results, a lot of podiums,” Rossi said. “First of all, we want to try to win a race. When you win, it’s always different. It’s better than a podium.
“We need to work together with the riders, with the team, to improve our performance everywhere. During the season, we had a lot of ups and downs.
“The main target will be trying to be competitive every weekend at every different circuit.”
Pablo Nieto’s message to Ducati as VR46 consider options
There’s a chance that this could be VR46’s last season with Ducati bikes. Rumours over winter suggest Rossi is considering other options.
VR46 have held talks with Aprilia, a manufacturer on the rise, while Rossi is in ‘never-ending’ discussions with Yamaha over a fairytale partnership.
Ducati have been the dominant team in MotoGP since VR46 entered the class but that status is under threat, particularly with the 2027 regulation changes looming. Luigi Dall’Igna, Davide Tardozzi and Mauro Grassilli were all in the audience in Rome.
“First of all, we have to say thank you to Ducati, to Gigi, Mauro, Davide,” said team manager Pablo Nieto. Without them, we cannot make this project.”
There are also whispers that Rossi is open to selling VR46 if the right offer arrives, so this could be the last launch that they hold, certainly in their current form.
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