Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati’s latest announcement regarding Francesco Bagnaia’s departure and Pedro Acosta’s appointment for the 2027 MotoGP season has split two of their on-track rivals, Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini.
Ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Ducati confirmed that Pedro Acosta will be replacing Francesco Bagnaia as Marc Marquez’s teammate for MotoGP’s new era of regulations next year.
How would you handle being Marc Marquez’s teammate?
While the news didn’t come as any surprise, given the fact that rumours of a confirmed switch emerged in pre-season, it marks the first time since 2010 that the Borgo Panigale-based outfit won’t be fielding an Italian rider in their factory line-up.
On top of that, Aprilia immediately launched a dig at their local rivals in the Noale-based outfit’s announcement that Bagnaia would be joining them on a four-year deal from 2027, with Massimo Rivola specifying that he is “supporting Italy” with the move.
That said, two riders who have both spent time under Ducati’s stable have differing viewpoints on Borgo Panigale’s move to field a Spanish line-up next year.
- READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia reveals when he knew it was the ‘right time’ to leave Ducati ahead of Aprilia move
Franco Morbidelli disagrees with Enea Bastianini’s view of Ducati’s Spanish line-up for 2027
With the Dutch Grand Prix taking place just a couple of days after the reigning world champions’ announcements, it was a hot topic during each rider’s media duties on Thursday afternoon.
How many titles will Francesco Bagnaia win with Aprilia over the next four years?
Former factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini was asked for his thoughts on the lack of an Italian at the team, to which he shared his disbelief at the philosophy changes they have made since he was racing in red.
“In 2024, Ducati made its own decision, abandoning one project to focus on another,” he replied via GPOne. “Since then, I think several things have changed within Ducati.
“Before, there were many Italian riders in the Ducati team, myself included, so I imagine there were very specific strategies behind it. I don’t know exactly why certain decisions were made, but I understood that there would be changes.”
He then added, “A lot of things have changed, and what happens at Ducati also happens at other teams. Everyone always wants to be the best, and a manufacturer like Ducati wants to understand who can be the best possible rider for their bike.
“However, I believe some situations were handled in a peculiar way. If there’s not even one Italian rider left, it’s obvious there’s some doubt. All of this might suggest that something didn’t work as it should have, but it’s not up to me to judge these decisions.”
- READ MORE: Neil Hodgson warns Ducati about the ’treasure trove’ Francesco Bagnaia will take with him to Aprilia
Franco Morbidelli, who currently races under Ducati’s umbrella with VR46, holds a completely opposing viewpoint to his compatriot, highlighting how a fully Spanish line-up for Ducati is “not unusual”.
Speaking via Motorsport Espana, the Italian said, “These are choices that Ducati makes based, above all, on the performance of the chosen riders. Surely, being the best factory, they can make this kind of choice.
“At the moment, it seems that the Spanish riders, especially the two chosen by Ducati, but also in general, are being very strong in the world championship.
“In MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3, there are plenty of Spanish riders at the front. So it’s not strange that both riders for an Italian company are Spanish. It’s not unusual.”
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
