The emergence of Alex Marquez, alongside Ducati’s commitments to Fermin Aldeguer and Fabio Di Giannantonio, among other factors, presents the ideal scenario for the Italian brand to field six identical bikes on the MotoGP grid next year.
Over the last decade – roughly since Gigi Dall’Igna arrived as general manager – Ducati has gradually pulled away from its direct rivals in MotoGP, reaching a level that, in the short and medium term, appears unmatchable. Its project in the premier class is meticulous in every aspect; its foundation a superb bike that is exploited to the fullest.
A standard satellite team pays Ducati around €2million to lease the latest Desmosedici. That amount drops by half for a previous-year version. There have even been times, like 2021, when three different model years have lined up on the grid simultaneously.
The Desmosedici is not only capable of beating other prototypes on the track – it also weakens the competition off it. To the point that Marc Marquez gave up the final year of his Honda contract (2024), along with the approximately €20million that came with it, for the chance to ride a Ducati that wasn’t even the latest model.
Just a single outing, in his debut test with the Gresini team at Valencia, was enough for the Spaniard to confirm that he wasn’t the problem at Honda. And his story has now developed into one of total domination as his 2025 campaign with the factory team has unfolded.
In addition to having the best rider/bike combination at present, Ducati has done its homework in terms of numbers, extracting the maximum value from every unit it manufactures. Until now, it has used the promise of a factory contract as a lure to attract rising stars – like Aldeguer – or to secure strategic alliances, as it did by promoting the VR46 team to factory-supported status, a privilege previously exclusive to Pramac.
Through this model, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has not only gained a powerful negotiating tool but also managed to place previous-year Desmosedicis with its customers. However, the set of circumstances expected next season suggests it’s the perfect moment for Ducati to consider putting six identical GP26s on track.
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gresini Racing
One of the major talking points this past pre-season was the debate over the GP25’s potential compared to the 2024 bike, which had been dubbed the perfect machine. After the final winter test in Thailand, in fact, Ducati announced that it would homologate a single engine spec for all its riders – an unprecedented decision in recent years.
“The engine will be the 2024 one for all Ducati riders. Will we make it in time? Well, all of that has to happen within eight or nine days, when normally we’d have about three weeks,” admitted team manager Davide Tardozzi in a conversation with Motorsport.com at Buriram.
However, something changed in that period, as the technical department, still with Dall’Igna at the helm, opted after all to differentiate the engines used by Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio – the three riders whose contracts stipulated a GP25 for this season – from those used by Alex Marquez, Aldeguer and Franco Morbidelli.
“Yes, there are two different specifications. The one used by Marc, Pecco and Diggia incorporates some small changes compared to the version used by Alex, Franco and Fermin,” a Ducati spokesperson told this writer during the season opener, also in Thailand.
“In the more advanced spec, we took into account feedback from Marc and Pecco,” added the source, while stressing that the differences between the two versions are “minor”.
Five months later, the situation is quite different. Marc Marquez is dominating with overwhelming superiority, having scored eight double wins (Saturday and Sunday) and 10 victories in 12 grand prix races. His brother, riding a slightly less refined 2024 bike without factory support – his contract is with Gresini, not Ducati – has been the only one able to challenge him at times.
Bagnaia, meanwhile, remains stuck on the metaphorical therapist’s couch, unable to find an answer to the lack of feeling that, as he keeps repeating, prevents him from performing as he did over the past three years.
Then there are the other Ducati riders: Diggia is trying to regain the consistency that injuries have denied him; Aldeguer is making a strong case for himself – with a podium in his rookie season and some impressive late-race performances – while Morbidelli, who started the season well, has lost some pace in recent rounds.
Of these riders, only Morbidelli has a contract that expires at the end of this year. Despite efforts to recruit Pedro Acosta – who was keen to break free from his KTM deal – the youngster has now accepted that he’ll remain in orange next season. Di Giannantonio, meanwhile, is contracted to Ducati as a factory rider through the end of 2026. As previously noted, Alex Marquez signed with Gresini, while Aldeguer, his team-mate at the Faenza-based team, signed directly with the Bologna factory.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
His agreement stipulates that he will ride a ‘standard’ Desmosedici in 2025, his rookie year, with the commitment to be upgraded to the latest-spec bike – like those of Marquez, Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio – in 2026.
Given the numbers so far, it’s undeniable that Alex has earned the right to ride a GP26 next year, even if his contract doesn’t specify it. Moreover, with the rider market open for 2027, Marc Marquez and Ducati will have to sit down and negotiate.
The first half of the calendar has clearly shown that Alex doesn’t need his brother as a yardstick to prove his potential – his speed and consistency are more than enough. That said, having the backing of the undisputed benchmark on the grid never hurts.
There are also a couple of key technical factors to consider for next season, which will be the last before MotoGP’s major regulation shake-up in 2027. First, it’s worth noting that the engines have been frozen since their homologation at Buriram. With all the experience and data from 2025, Ducati will be well positioned to choose between the two engine options it currently supplies.
The case for the more evolved version is strong. Run by Marquez, Bagnaia and Diggia, it has racked up nine wins, while the previous spec (used by Alex, Aldeguer and Morbidelli) has taken just one. For fans, seeing all six riders race under theoretically equal conditions would be a real treat.
The gap between Ducati and the rest of the manufacturers is a chasm that cannot be bridged in a single season – and everyone knows it. For that reason, it makes sense to believe that most brands will treat 2026 as a transitional year and will avoid investing more than necessary. The new regulations offer a window of hope for the rest, and it would be inexcusable not to go all in on that opportunity, instead of wasting energy trying to close an unbridgeable gap in a project that will only last one year.
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