Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati today confirmed that Marc Marquez has signed a new two-year contract at the Borgo Panigale brand, which in turn appears to have decided Davide Tardozzi’s future.
The news that the MotoGP paddock had been anticipating for some time arrived on Tuesday morning, as Ducati confirmed that Marquez has signed a contract through 2028. It was not a secret that the 33-year-old was set to stay, despite some reports that his future was unclear.
Marquez was due to be out of contract for Ducati at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season, as the Spaniard only agreed to pen a two-year deal ahead of his move from Gresini in the 2025 season. But he has now committed to guide Ducati into MotoGP’s 850cc regulations in 2027.
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Davide Tardozzi is ‘not going home’ all the while Marc Marquez still rides for Ducati
Ducati team manager Tardozzi would only tell AS that, “I hope he stays with us,” when it was put to the Italian after Marquez won the Czech Grand Prix on Sunday that the announcement of his new contract was imminent. Ducati elected to wait until Tuesday to confirm Marquez’s new contract as the first official 850cc test using Pirelli tyres took place at Brno this Monday.
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But while Tardozzi did not want to announce Marquez’s new contract early, the 67-year-old did state that he does not envisage himself leaving his role as Ducati’s team manager all the while that the Spaniard is racing in red. Tardozzi has held his position since the 2014 season.
Tardozzi said: “I’m too old, but I’m not going home because I have too much fun working with a rider like Marc and at Ducati.
“This has always been my dream and my hobby, and at the same time it’s my job. So, I feel fortunate that Ducati have given me the opportunity to work with riders like this.”
So, by announcing Marquez’s latest contract, Ducati have at least confirmed Tardozzi’s clear intention to continue as the Bologna Bullets’ team manager for at least the 2027 campaign. It will keep two cogs in Ducati’s dream team under general manager Luigi Dall’Igna together.
Honda could have potentially broken Ducati’s dream team up had Marquez not agreed to a new contract. It was reported earlier this year that Honda offered Marquez a £17.5m, two-year contract to try to get him back in their colours at the start of the 850cc regulations era.
Marquez left Honda to join Gresini for the 2024 season, before he then joined Ducati for the 2025 season and won his first title since the Spaniard sealed his sixth title for Honda back in 2019. But Marquez the person continues to impress Tardozzi more than Marquez the rider.
After Marquez’s Czech GP victory last Sunday, Tardozzi stressed that no other MotoGP rider would be able to achieve the type of results that the Cervera native can claim while dealing with the ongoing effects from his recent surgery to remove two bent screws in his shoulder.
Tardozzi told AS: “Marc is incredible, and never ceases to amaze me. We know exactly what his physical condition is like, and what he’s doing is superhuman. He’s doing what no other rider could do in his physical state
“I want to talk more about the person than the rider – a person who never stops surprising you with how he tackles problems, and how focused he is on what he has to do.
“He’s a great professional and a great talent, but his human side is what makes the difference and what leads him to achieve these results.”
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