Bagnaia & Ducati to renew: how many more years together in MotoGP?

Sepang Test, Lusail Test, Qatar Grand Prix. Three important events, with which MotoGP enthusiastically attacks 2024. And one of many topics to cover is the first market move... Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati are keen to continue together, a sensible and winning strategy, but the question is – for how many years might the rider renew his contract?

Two years of MotoGP, then the technical change

We have the entire 2024 season ahead of us, and then 2025 and 2026. We lay this out to explain the direction in which the prototypes are headed, with the Technical Regulation change scheduled for 2027. Various motorcycle manufacturers have asked for this to be brought forward, in vain for now.

So the future 850cc three- or four-cylinder bikes will take the place of the current 1000cc fours. But before this can happen, the new models will need to be conceived, developed and tested on track, with the help of the test riders, but also the factory riders.

Pecco and Ducati, options on results and... development

Would it make sense for the strongest and most successful team in recent years to part ways? Of course not. Lenovo Ducati, Borgo Panigale and Pecco Bagnaia make for the perfect combination, double MotoGP world champions. This is clear, just as it is clear that the renewal and official announcement is on the way.

Back to the Technical Regulation. The new bikes will be on track prior to 2027, definitely in 2026 and we wouldn’t be surprised if we were to see some previews already in 2025. And so if the rider were to renew for two years – fairly standard nowadays – would he have chance to taste the new prototype?

It’s never happened in recent times, except to Marc Marquez in 2023 at Misano, when the eight-time world champion told the world about his imminent from Honda to Ducati. After having ridden the RC213 V that he deemed less than promising, we know how things went for #93. It’s different for Bagnaia and Ducati of course but, although it might be hard to fathom, the Technical Regulation will impact on the length of the contract. Will they make an agreement for three years, which would take them all the way through 2027? Or perhaps there will be a "2+2", or a "3+1". The variables? The results on track and the moves of others.