Francesco Bagnaia is on the verge of getting a new contract with Ducati. Both parties are still undergoing the negotiation stage.
The Italian rider’s contract will expire at the end of the 2024 season. Ducati has clearly wanted this collaboration to continue after Bagnaia successfully became MotoGP world champion in the last two seasons.
“We are working to try to get an agreement with Pecco,” Ducati General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna told Speedweek.
“A contract with a two-time MotoGP world champion is never easy, so we still have work to do. However, I hope to sort it out in the near future,” he said.
Most of the riders except Brad Binder (KTM) and Luca Marini (Honda) both have remaining contracts until the end of this year. It is believed that the driver market will immediately become busy at the start of the championship.
At Ducati itself, it is very possible that there will be changes to the rider line-up for 2025. Pecco Bagnaia has the potential to have a new tandem because it is said that Enea Bastianini will not be retained due to a disappointing debut season.
It’s even more interesting because 2023 MotoGP runner-up Jorge Martin gave Ducati an ultimatum to promote him to the factory team. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez has the potential to become Martin’s rival after joining Gresini.
“In my opinion, a lot of riders will move at the start of the season. So I think there will be a lot of news to report for you in the first few months of the year,” said Dall’Igna.