The eight-year partnership between Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati will end after the final grand prix of the 2026 season in Valencia, the factory announced on Wednesday. Within hours, Ducati confirmed that Pedro Acosta, the Spanish rider currently with Red Bull KTM, will join the works team for 2027 and 2028 alongside Marc Marquez, whose own contract extension through 2028 had been disclosed a day earlier. The twin announcements formalise a reshaping of the MotoGP grid that had been widely anticipated in the paddock.

Bagnaia arrived at Ducati as a MotoGP rookie in 2019 with the satellite Pramac squad and was promoted to the factory Lenovo team in 2021. He delivered the manufacturer’s first riders’ title in 15 years in 2022, ending a drought that stretched back to Casey Stoner’s 2007 crown, and defended it in 2023. Across his tenure he amassed 31 race wins, 62 podium finishes and 28 pole positions, making him the most successful rider in the Desmosedici GP’s history. In 2024 he came within 10 points of a third consecutive championship, losing to Jorge Martín, but his form dipped markedly thereafter. He finished fifth in 2025, 257 points adrift of teammate Marquez, and sits seventh in the current standings with a single sprint victory in Brno.

Italian media framed the separation as the close of a defining chapter for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. CEO Claudio Domenicali described Bagnaia as having “written some of the most memorable pages in Ducati’s history,” while general manager Luigi Dall’Igna said the rider would “forever remain a champion in the history of Borgo Panigale.” Bagnaia himself posted an emotional message on social media, acknowledging that the relationship had become strained: “Last season it was difficult to understand each other; we clashed more than we wanted and something began to change. I feel the need to start again with a new challenge.”

Viewed from Asian media markets, the focus fell immediately on the competitive implications. The arrival of Acosta, a former Moto3 and Moto2 champion who was Rookie of the Year in 2024 and has since become KTM’s lead rider, creates a high-profile pairing with the seven-time champion Marquez. Ducati’s statement said the duo would form “a highly competitive partnership” and signalled the factory’s ambition for the new 850cc technical era beginning in 2027. Acosta’s departure from KTM at the end of this season severs a relationship that had seen him take 13 podiums in 2025 and a sprint race win in Thailand this year.

Bagnaia’s next destination has not been officially confirmed, but reports across Italian, Indonesian and Brazilian outlets consistently point to a move to Aprilia, where he would partner Marco Bezzecchi from 2027, filling the seat expected to be vacated by Jorge Martín. Until then, Bagnaia and Ducati have pledged to pursue the best possible results through the remaining rounds of 2026, with the Valencia finale set to be his last appearance in factory red.