Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia could be allowed to test Aprilia’s bike while still contracted to Ducati under a proposed ‘amnesty’ for riders who are switching teams.
It emerged during the United States GP weekend that Bagnaia has signed his Aprilia contract, with formal confirmation of his Ducati exit pending. He is one of several high-profile riders on the move for 2027.
Elsewhere, Fabio Quartararo is moving from Yamaha to Honda, with Jorge Martin set to replace him. Alex Marquez will leave Gresini for KTM and, perhaps most notably of all, Pedro Acosta will become Marc Marquez’s Ducati teammate.
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Francesco Bagnaia could test for Aprilia while still being a Ducati employee
Full-time riders will be allowed to test the 2027 bikes on 22 June, just after the Czech GP. However, Ducati won’t let Bagnaia take part to prevent him taking valuable information to Aprilia.
The same applies to every other rider who is already committed to changing teams. In fact, all those who haven’t signed contract extensions risk being excluded.
Naturally, they won’t be able to test for their future teams at Brno earlier. There is no incentive for them to sanction this activity for contracted employees, and garage-hopping in-season is unlikely to be in anyone’s best interest.
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But as Motorsport Espana note, it’s important for safety reasons that every 2027 rider is able to test the 850cc bikes in some capacity this year, lest they be unprepared for pre-season testing.
That’s why a ‘general amnesty’ is being considered that would allow the likes of Bagnaia, Quartararo, Martin and Acosta to ride for their new teams at the post-season test in Valencia.
They will technically still be under contract at that point (many deals run until 31 December), but every factory would likely benefit from lifting the restrictions at that stage.
Which MotoGP riders have already signed contracts for 2027?
Marco Bezzecchi is the only MotoGP rider to sign a new contract this year, though some of his competitors signed for multiple seasons during the 2025 contract cycle.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is already locked into Yamaha in some capacity, and the same goes for Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco at Honda. Fermin Aldeguer will switch from Gresini to VR46, remaining within the Ducati stable, so he too will ride in June.
- READ MORE: MotoGP 2027 grid: Every confirmed rider move and the latest rumours ahead of the 850cc era
The delay over Marquez’s Ducati extension is inviting some intrigue, but the expectation is that the deal will be done well in advance of the summer.
If so, Marquez and Bezzecchi, potentially set to be the protagonists of this year’s title fight, could have a crucial advantage heading into 2027, too.
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