Francesco Bagnaia, the two-time MotoGP world champion, will leave Ducati’s factory team at the conclusion of the 2026 season, the Italian manufacturer announced on Wednesday. Bagnaia, who joined Ducati’s factory squad in 2021, is expected to join Aprilia alongside current championship leader Marco Bezzecchi for the 2027 campaign.

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali praised Bagnaia’s contributions, stating that the rider “wrote a fundamental part of Ducati’s sporting history” and was instrumental in returning the Desmosedici GP motorcycle to a competitive position in the MotoGP series. Bagnaia secured back-to-back MotoGP titles in 2022 and 2023, capturing Ducati’s first rider's championship in 15 years. In 2024, he narrowly missed a third consecutive title, finishing 10 points behind champion Jorge Martin.

However, Bagnaia’s recent performance has declined, with a fifth-place finish in last season’s standings, trailing sharply behind teammate Marc Marquez by 257 points. This year, he holds seventh place in the riders’ championship, having claimed only one victory so far—the Czech MotoGP sprint race on Saturday.

In a related development, Ducati confirmed on Tuesday that Marc Marquez will remain with the factory team for an additional two years. Marquez, a multiple-time world champion, will continue to be joined by fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta, who will replace Bagnaia in the Ducati lineup starting in 2027.

Acosta, 22, is a rising talent who has secured world championship titles in both the Moto2 and Moto3 categories. Currently racing on a KTM bike for Red Bull, he has signed a two-year contract with Ducati. The move marks a significant step up as Acosta transitions to one of the premier teams in MotoGP.