Marco Bezzecchi
After missing out on the MotoGP title in the last two years, Francesco Bagnaia refuses to look back to the past.
At one point Francesco Bagnaia was the king of MotoGP as he secured the title with Ducati in 2022 and 2023, but he has fallen short in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The Italian rider became Ducati’s second MotoGP champion with his first title in 2022, and ended the manufacturer’s 15-year wait for a second Championship.
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He followed this up with a second title in 2023, becoming the first rider to secure back-to-back titles with Ducati in MotoGP history.
However, since his success in 2023, he has been beaten to the title by two Ducati rivals, Jorge Martin in 2024 and Marc Marquez in 2025.
With a crucial year ahead of him, Bagnaia will need to find further motivation if he wants to reclaim the MotoGP crown in 2026.
Past success means nothing to Bagnaia in the present
Bagnaia and Ducati were left scratching their heads after the two-time MotoGP champion ended the 2025 season in fifth place in the standings.
With the start of a new season approaching, Bagnaia had a strong start to the year at the Sepang Test as he ended up in sixth place on the timesheets.
Since the Sepang Test, he sat down with MOWMAG and discussed his previous success, revealing that he ‘downplays’ his titles to give himself further motivation.
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Bagnaia said, “No, I tend to be quite self-critical. I tend to downplay what I have done to push myself to continue in this way. I really would like to keep winning, this year has started well as a first test.
“I like to win, like all the riders here. But it is not something to be taken for granted, so to do it you have to give 100% in everything that you do. My motivation is to try to always do better.”
Francesco Bagnaia’s future with Ducati remains uncertain
Ever since entering the premier class in 2019, Bagnaia has been a Ducati rider, as he started his journey with Pramac before moving to the factory squad in 2021.
The 2026 season will mark Bagnaia’s sixth season with the factory Ducati squad, but it appears unlikely that he will remain with the Italian manufacturer for a seventh season.
Reports from the Sepang Test suggested that Pedro Acosta will take Bagnaia’s factory Ducati seat in 2027, which leaves Bagnaia on the hunt for a new home for next season.
This has led to reports that he is in active discussions with Aprilia and Yamaha regarding factory rides for next season, which would mark the first time Bagnaia has switched manufacturers in his MotoGP career.
It has recently been believed that Yamaha is the leading contender to secure Bagnaia’s signature for the 2027 season, but Jorge Lorenzo has also talked up Aprilia as an ‘excellent’ option for the Italian.
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