Marco Bezzecchi
Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Valentino Rossi discussed Francesco Bagnaia with the Italian President.
Valentino Rossi made a cameo in the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026, as he appeared as a tram driver.
The MotoGP Hall of Famer featured in the opening ceremony in a pre-recorded segment with Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, who was arriving at the San Siro in Milan.
What is your favourite bike from Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP career?
Even though Rossi has not raced in MotoGP since 2021, the Italian still has a strong connection to the sport with his VR46 Academy riders and the VR46 Racing Team.
However, the nine-time World Champion revealed that Mattarella showed a strong interest in the upcoming 2026 MotoGP season and Francesco Bagnaia in particular.
Valentino Rossi reveals comments about Francesco Bagnaia
Behind the scenes of their opening ceremony segment, the Italian President questioned Rossi about how the Italians are doing in MotoGP, especially Bagnaia.
After winning the MotoGP World Championship in 2022 and 2023, Bagnaia has missed out on the title in 2024 and 2025. The Italian rider had a particularly poor season in 2025, as he finished fifth in the Championship.
Did Francesco Bagnaia receive an unfair amount of criticism last season?
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Rossi reassured the Italian President that Bagnaia is ‘motivated and ready’, to which Mattarella asked if the Italians can ‘beat these Spaniards’.
When discussing his meeting with the Italian President, Rossi told Corriere della Sera, “He asked me how we’re doing in the MotoGP World Championship. How’s Bagnaia? I reassured him, telling him it’ll be tough, but Pecco seems motivated and ready to have a great season.
“And he said, ‘Well, so can we beat these Spaniards?’ Great.”
Where will Francesco Bagnaia end up for the 2027 season?
The 2026 MotoGP season could be Bagnaia’s last chance with the factory Ducati squad as his contract expires at the end of the year.
This year will mark the Italian rider’s eighth year with the Italian manufacturer after joining Pramac Ducati in 2019 before moving to the factory team in 2021.
After losing to fellow Ducati riders Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, it has been reported that Bagnaia will lose his place with the Italian manufacturer in 2027.
It is believed that Pedro Acosta will be the rider to take Bagnaia’s spot in the Factory Ducati garage alongside Marc Marquez for the 2027 MotoGP season.
There have since been reports of two possible destinations for Bagnaia in 2027. It is believed that Yamaha is the leading contender to secure the Italian, but Jorge Lorenzo has also talked up Aprilia as an ‘excellent’ option for the two-time MotoGP Champion.
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