Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia have announced the signing of two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia on a massive four-year contract from 2027, after Ducati revealed the Italian’s release.
Ducati revealed on Wednesday, June 24 that Bagnaia would leave the Bologna Bullets at the end of his contract come the close of the 2026 season. The MotoGP paddock had known for some time that Bagnaia’s era in red was up, after Ducati signed Pedro Acosta to replace him.
Bagnaia had dreamed about ending his MotoGP career as a Ducati rider, after he lifted back-to-back titles with the Borgo Panigale squad in 2022 and 2023 along with finishing 10 points shy of a third title in 2024. Yet a disastrous 2025 campaign proved to be the start of the end.
After Bagnaia only finished fifth in the 2025 standings, with a 257-point deficit to teammate Marc Marquez who missed the final four events, Ducati sought to look for an alternative for the 2027 season. And it was finally revealed on June 24 that Acosta will join Ducati in 2027.
How many titles will Francesco Bagnaia win with Aprilia over the next four years?
Aprilia confirm the signing of Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia from 2027
Bagnaia’s widely expected availability for 2027 caught the eye of Aprilia, as they are due to see Jorge Martin move to Yamaha in 2027 after his contract with the Noale natives expires. And Aprilia have now confirmed that Bagnaia will be Marco Bezzecchi’s teammate in 2027.
READ MORE: The best moments of Francesco Bagnaia’s MotoGP career
Aprilia have announced the signing of Bagnaia on a huge four-year contract through 2030, forming the only all-Italian rider line-up confirmed for next year’s grid. Back in February, in a move against the general trend, Aprilia and Bezzecchi agreed a new contract through 2028.
The MotoGP teams widely agreed to delay announcing any rider moves until after they had each agreed to sign a new collective commercial agreement with the championship, which was announced on June 19. The agreement also delayed Aprilia confirming Bagnaia’s move.
Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has stated that their move to sign Bagnaia to partner Bezzecchi from 2027 is a clear sign of their “vision of supporting Italy”. Rivola also believes Bagnaia’s transfer from Ducati to Aprilia will add to the golden moment that Italy is enjoying in sport.
“Michele Colaninno and I share the same vision of supporting Italy, which is why we both thought of Marco and Pecco together for the next chapter of Aprilia Racing,” Rivola said.
“Bagnaia’s arrival is a confirmation of the value of Italian sport, which in recent months has distinguished itself on the world stage thanks to the achievements of Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1, Jannik Sinner in tennis, and Federica Brignone at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. That is why welcoming Pecco fills us with pride and gives Italian sport a further boost internationally.
“We will give him and his family a warm welcome, but first we will try to beat him! Having a multiple World Champion is a responsibility we can’t wait to take on.”
It had been an open secret in the MotoGP paddock for months that Bagnaia had agreed to replace Martin at Aprilia, knowing that Acosta was on his way to replace him at Ducati next year. It had also been said that Bagnaia’s Aprilia contract includes options through 2030, as the Noale crew offered him what could become a four-year contract to turn down Yamaha.
Back in February, it was believed that Bagnaia held talks with Yamaha about joining Martin in their factory 2027 line-up. But the Turin native opted against joining the Iwata squad for the start of MotoGP’s 850cc regulations era once he saw their 1,000cc V4 bike in 2026 testing.
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