Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali is adamant that they choose riders based on talent, not ‘passports’.
Ducati have formed an all-Spanish factory line-up for next year, with Pedro Acosta joining from KTM to partner Marc Marquez. Francesco Bagnaia’s deal was not renewed, and he will join Aprilia instead.
When factoring in the satellite teams, five of Ducati’s six riders next year will be Spaniards. Joan Mir and Daniel Holgado have been confirmed at Gresini, while Fermin Aldeguer moves to VR46.
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Claudio Domenicali: We want to win the title, we’re not thinking about nationality
Ducati are trying to secure a seat for Nicolo Bulega to complete their roster, with the dominant World Superbikes rider expected to partner Aldeguer at VR46.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Domenicali said Ducati, currently celebrating their centenary, should be proud ‘to be a company deeply rooted in Italy’.
Inevitably, he was then asked how that identity squares with their rider decisions for 2027. As far as he’s concerned, they have chosen the line-up most likely to deliver the title.
Asked about becoming the ‘Spanish national team’, he said: “But what can we do? When we put together the official team, the first fundamental criterion is performance; we don’t choose based on passports.
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“We didn’t want to create a Spanish national team; we wanted to create a pair of great riders, and we chose the two we thought would give us the most energy.
“Obviously, we’d love to have an Italian with us, which is why we’re working to bring Nicolo Bulega to MotoGP. But the official team is aiming for the top: we want to win the world championship.”
Despite insisting that ‘passports’ influence decision-making, Domenicali admitted that an Italian background could be an advantage.
“Certainly, as soon as we have the chance to choose between two equally talented riders, and one of them is Italian, we’ll choose the Italian,” he said.
Aprilia placed a great emphasis on the all-Italian nature of their line-up when they announced the signing of Bagnaia, who replaces Jorge Martin as Marco Bezzecchi’s teammate.
The Noale outfit are currently involved in a symbolic battle with Ducati to be seen as Italy’s leading representative on the grid.
But Domenicali says of Acosta: “He’s quite a Ducatista, I think fans will soon fall in love with him, if they haven’t already.”
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