Two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia has expressed interest in spending his entire professional career with Ducati, but is not ruling out a switch to another manufacturer if circumstances change.
A protege of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, Bagnaia made his debut in the premier class in 2019 with Ducati’s satellite team Pramac before stepping up to the factory team in 2021.
With two world titles, 25 wins and 45 podiums, he is already the most successful Ducati rider in the championship’s history and is locked into the team until the end of the 2026 season.
Ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna GP, Bagnaia’s 100th race in the top category, Tour de France stage winner Wout Van Aert signed a new contract with his Jumbo-Lease cycling team that commits him to the squad until retirement.
Speaking in response to that unprecedented contract, Bagnaia also said he would be interested in seeing out his time in MotoGP with the Borgo Panigale marque.
However, citing the example of his future team-mate Marc Marquez, who quit Honda with a year left into a four-year deal after the 2023 season, the 27-year-old also stated it is not a given that he will remain at Ducati all his life.
“I love Ducati. I think Ducati loves me but it’s never say never say,” he said in the pre-Misano press conference.
“We were considering the same thing about Marc when he signed four years here [at Honda] and then everybody knows what happened. You never know.
“I fell in love with Ducati when I was a child and we tried to keep always with the same mentality. We obviously love Ducati. But it depends also if something will change.
“At this moment, my mentality, my vision is to continue in the same way. I love my team, I love the people that are working in Ducati, not just Ducati Corse but also Ducati factory. If I can I would like to share with them all my career.”
While rare, there have been several instances where top-tier riders have spent their entire premier class careers at the same team.
Mick Doohan raced exclusively for Honda in the 500cc class and won five titles in a row with the Japanese marque during the late 1990s. Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz likewise remained loyal to Yamaha and Suzuki respectively.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Title run-in
Bagnaia is locked in a tight battle with Pramac’s Jorge Martin for the 2024 riders’ title, trailing the Spaniard by seven points ahead of his 100th MotoGP appearance this weekend at Misano.
A third straight title for Bagnaia is important for Ducati, as rival Martin would take the number one plate with him to Aprilia should he be able to dethrone the Italian in this year’s championship fight.
Bagnaia said he feels he is in better physical shape compared to 12 months ago, but expects the title battle to go all the way to the Valencia finale in November.
“More or less like Jorge I feel much better physically because in this part of the season I was not in a better shape,” he said.
“Our experience gives us the motivation to be able to handle the pressure and I think it will finish more or less in Valencia. But it depends from the results. [The remaining tracks] are all good tracks for us, for all the Ducati riders.
“It will be important to try to do a very good job. It will not be easy, but I love this part of the season.”
