Francesco Bagnaia says he first began thinking seriously about leaving Ducati during last year’s MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix.
On the eve of this weekend’s MotoGP race at Assen, it was confirmed that Bagnaia will join Aprilia on a bumper four-year contract, teaming up with fellow VR46 graduate Marco Bezzecchi in an all-Italian line-up.
This November’s Valencia GP will hence mark his final race at Ducati, closing the curtain on a glittering chapter that saw him take the Borgo Panigale marque back to the top and become its most successful rider in history.
Although the deal with Aprilia was only announced on Thursday, and understood to be agreed upon before pre-season testing, Bagnaia admitted that he was already thinking about life after Ducati in September last year.
“It’s true that last year wasn’t an easy season. I struggled a lot, and something started to change after Japan,” he said.
“So at that moment I just decided, ‘OK, maybe it’s time to consider other options’ and I opened my mind.
“Honestly, I always received a lot of support from Aprilia. And I think it was the correct moment.
“I had many options in front of me. But I believe in a long-term contract. And I think it was the correct moment to decide to go.”
Motegi proved to be a decisive point in the 2025 MotoGP season. It was the first weekend of the year where Bagnaia enjoyed a clear competitive advantage over the field.
But while he celebrated pole position and a double win at Japan, his results were significantly overshadowed by his team-mate Marc Marquez wrapping up his seventh premier class title.
Asked to explain exactly what shifted for him at Motegi, Bagnaia declined to elaborate.
“There is a place and a time to share this kind of information, but it’s not the correct moment,” he said.
Letter to Ducati
In a heartfelt social media post, Bagnaia shared a letter to Ducati, the manufacturer he once expected to spend his entire career with before a difficult 2025 campaign altered his plans.
“I think after eight years, it was correct to dedicate a more important thing to say goodbye,” he said to explain the reasoning behind the letter.
“It’s true that we’ll finish the season with them, but I didn’t want to just end it and say that I was moving from Ducati with a post saying ‘ciao Ducati’; it’s more important than this.
“I shared the best memories in my career right now with them, so it was correct like this.”
Over the winter, Bagnaia emerged as a prime candidate for Yamaha, which was seeking another world champion to replace Honda-bound Fabio Quartararo, before ultimately deciding to join Aprilia.
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