Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia has snubbed Yamaha and will sign a mega contract with Aprilia from the 2027 MotoGP season.
The Italian’s future in the premier class has been up in the air since his disastrous 2025 campaign with Ducati. Winning twice all year and finishing P5 in the standings, Bagnaia has been heavily linked with a move away from Borgo Panigale.
With Marc Marquez being the priority in contract negotiations in 2027 and rumours that Pedro Acosta is joining Ducati from KTM, Bagnaia’s name has been all over the MotoGP rider market in 2026.
FOUR YEARS?! 😲 Has Pecco Bagnaia made the right decision for 2027?
Aprilia and Yamaha have been strongly linked to the 29-year-old, with the latter showing keen interest since last season. The Iwata factory have been trying to entice Bagnaia to join their project from 2027, but he has now decided to move elsewhere.
According to Sky Italia, Bagnaia has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with Aprilia starting in 2027. He will partner with Marco Bezzecchi, who signed a multi-year extension with the Noale outfit before pre-season testing.
Francesco Bagnaia snubbed Yamaha for Aprilia after seeing V4 problems in Malaysia
As the report notes, Bagnaia has agreed a contract that is a ‘true rarity’ in MotoGP. Riders often sign two-year contracts, but the Ducati rider has reportedly gone outside the normal contract cycle and committed his future to Aprilia long-term.
The Noale outfit are looking to fight Ducati for the title in 2026. Bezzecchi has been making strong progress since the second half of 2025 and could be a serious title contender on the RS-GP, making Aprilia an attractive project for Bagnaia.
Rate the Francesco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi line-up at Aprilia out of 10
Yamaha were said to be leading the race for Bagnaia and his signature for 2027, but the two-time champion has had a change of heart. According to Motorsport Espana, this is down to the factory’s struggles with the V4 engine.
Bagnaia had ‘sat down to negotiate with Yamaha’, but he saw ‘problems at all levels’ with the V4 during pre-season testing. The Iwata outfit had to suspend activity at Sepang due to an engine problem, and those issues have since persisted in Buriram.
With Yamaha looking over a second off the pace, according to Fabio Quartararo, Bagnaia U-turned his decision to look at the Japanese outfit and has instead committed to Aprilia.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Francesco Bagnaia turned down Yamaha’s significantly larger offer to join Aprilia
It was reported that Yamaha tabled a ‘significantly more substantial’ offer to Bagnaia, with Aprilia not having as much financial power. However, according to Motorsport Espana, the Ducati star deemed the offer to be ‘insufficient’.
The exact details of Yamaha’s offer are unknown, but Bagnaia has clearly been unsatisfied with their project after seeing their problems in pre-season testing.
Aprilia are said to have only offered Bagnaia £2.6m a season, which is a significant pay cut from his current Ducati contract, which expires at the end of 2026.
But reports are suggesting that Bagnaia turned down a pay cut from Ducati to stay beyond 2026. The Italian clearly favours a fresh start, with Marquez now clearly being the lead rider in Borgo Panigale.
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