Francesco Bagnaia will continue to compete for the factory Ducati MotoGP outfit over the next two seasons after agreeing a contract extension with the Italian marque.
The 2018 Moto2 world champion has campaigned one of Ducati’s challengers since making the step into the premier class for 2019, Bagnaia spending two years with the Pramac satellite team before being promoted to the factory squad to replace a departing Andrea Dovizioso for ’21.
A successful season that saw him claim not only his first premier class success – and a further three besides – but also become Fabio Quartararo’s main title protagonist, though his chances were dashed thanks to a costly crash from the lead in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, although he still ended up second overall behind the Yamaha man having won four of the final six races.
His impressive run in ’21 therefore has been enough for Ducati to grant Bagnaia a two-year contract extension, meaning he will remain in Ducati colours until at least the end of the ’24 term – an outcome he is “happy and proud” about.
“Being a Ducati rider in MotoGP has always been my dream, and knowing that I can continue with the Ducati Lenovo Team for another two seasons makes me happy and proud,” says Bagnaia.
“I have found a serene environment in the factory team: I feel very much in tune with my team and know that we can do great things together.”
Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna added that the extra “maturity” Bagnaia showed while fighting for the championship last year was one of the key reasons Ducati wanted to keep him around for a further two years as it looks to try and secure its first riders title since Casey Stoner managed the feat on the Desmosedici in 2007.
“We are delighted to have Bagnaia with us for another two seasons,” says Dall’Igna.
“Since he arrived at Ducati in 2019, Pecco has shown great talent and the ability to interpret our Desmosedici GP very well, adapting to ride it in any condition.
“He did it, especially in the last season, during which he had significant growth and got to play for the world title.
“The way he managed the races at Aragón, Misano, Portimão and Valencia, scoring four fantastic victories, is proof of his maturity as a rider.
“With these great qualities, we are sure that he has the potential to aim for the title with us”.
Bagnaia will again ride alongside Jack Miller for the upcoming campaign, though their continued partnership is far from secure with the Aussie ace under big pressure to keep his berth following a rather inconsistent ’21 that meant he ended up 71 points adrift of his team-mate, though still fourth overall.
Pramac Ducati sophomore rider Jorge Martin impressed the paddock immensely in his rookie season last year after showing blinding speed on several occasions – resulting in a grand total of four pole positions and a first win at the Red Bull Ring – while Enea Bastianini also turned heads after scoring a pair of rostrums with a two-year old Avintia-run bike in his rookie year, the Italian heading to Gresini for this term.
With Miller’s contract ending at the conclusion of this season, he will need to try and stave off the challenge of his younger brand-mates if he is to extend his stay in Ducati colours beyond ’22.
Keyword: Bagnaia extends Ducati MotoGP stay until at least end of 2024