Ducati’s six-rider roster for the 2027 MotoGP season is nearing completion, with only the VR46 announcements still to come.
The factory team will field Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta, as confirmed last month, while Gresini have formed a brand-new line-up of Daniel Holgado and Joan Mir.
Fermin Aldeguer is effectively promoted to second-in-command team VR46, and World Superbike champion-elect Nicolo Bulega is the hot favourite to join him.
Luigi Dall’Igna and Ducati pushed to sign David Alonso
For Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna, the line-up is almost perfect. He has secured the two most coveted riders on the market – an all-time great in Marquez and a rider who could one day reach that level in Acosta.
Despite the loss of Fabio Di Giannantonio to KTM, VR46 will arguably be stronger next year. Aldeguer is also seen as an emerging superstar, while Bulega has effectively been earmarked for a MotoGP move since he joined the test team last June.
David Alonso will ride a Honda in MotoGP from 2027 🇨🇴 What are your expectations for his rookie season?
Dall’Igna’s only regret will be his failure to sign David Alonso, who was announced as one of Honda’s 2027 riders on Tuesday.
As he revealed in a January interview, Dall’Igna ‘definitely’ wanted to sign Alonso. He called the Colombian a ‘great rider’ who’s ‘intelligent’ and ‘polite’ off the track.
Ducati held talks with Alonso but couldn’t agree a deal because his salary demands were too high. Honda and Yamaha may be the two slowest manufacturers on the grid right now, but they can still outspend their European counterparts.
For all their interest, Ducati didn’t want to disrupt their wage structure by agreeing to the Moto2 rider’s demands. They had already ‘bent their philosophy’ by signing Acosta.
One suspects that Alonso would have joined Gresini had the negotiations been successful. They could have replicated Aspar’s Moto2 line-up by pairing him with Holgado or stuck with a more experienced presence in Mir.
Honda haven’t yet decided whether Alonso will start at the factory team or satellite squad LCR. But if he lives up to his potential in the premier class, Dall’Igna will watch on with a sense of regret.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
