Francesco Bagnaia : “I’ll Try to Steal Some of Marc’s Secrets” as He Stays Calm Over 2027 Contract

Francesco Bagnaia says the winter break has given him valuable time to reflect on what he describes as a “tough” MotoGP 2025 season, while insisting he feels “quite calm” about his contract situation beyond 2026 and is eager to learn from reigning world champion Marc Marquez.

Twelve months ago, the double MotoGP champion was widely tipped as the pre-season favourite following Marquez’s arrival at the Ducati Lenovo Team. Instead, Marquez went on to dominate the championship, while Bagnaia struggled to extract consistent front-end feeling from the Ducati GP25, particularly under braking and on corner entry.

Although Bagnaia still managed four victories across the season, flashes of his former title-winning form were offset by inconsistency and misfortune. Ducati was unable to identify a definitive solution to his handling issues, leaving Bagnaia to fade to fifth in the final world championship standings.

Speaking during Ducati’s team launch in Madonna di Campiglio, Bagnaia admitted that the difficulties extended beyond his own side of the garage.

“Last year was tough, not just for me but also for the team,” Bagnaia said.
“It was difficult to understand the situation clearly. Many times we had good potential, but we didn’t achieve the result.”

He pointed to a mix of technical struggles and bad luck that compounded the problem.

“Other times we had bad luck, like the puncture in Malaysia,” he added.
“And other times I was really struggling to find the feeling and the performance.”

Despite that frustration, Bagnaia believes the work done over the winter has put him and Ducati in a better position to move forward.

“With calmness and with the work we did this winter, we can try to adapt and improve,” he explained.
“Normally, in difficult moments you can learn a lot of things, and that’s what I try to do.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Bagnaia sees Marquez’s presence in the same garage as a key reference point, rather than a source of pressure.

“The winter has been great. I had time to reflect,” Bagnaia said.
“Luckily, I have a good reference in the garage, so I can be close to him and try to steal some secrets.”

Asked by MotoGP.com about the biggest lesson he took from the previous season, Bagnaia highlighted a shift in mindset.

“Sometimes it’s better just to enjoy the moments and not think too much about the wrong things,” he said.

In terms of objectives, the Italian rider set a clear but measured benchmark for the upcoming campaign. After training on a Superbike in Indonesia ahead of the Sepang test on February 3–5, Bagnaia said he would be satisfied if he could consistently fight at the front.

“I’ll be happy if I finish the season having had a nice battle with the reference, which I think will be Marc,” he said.
“Many riders are fast, so it will be important to be competitive from the start and try to regain what I lost last year.”

Bagnaia underlined the importance of pre-season testing, particularly with 2026 marking the final year of the current technical regulations.

“The tests will be super important,” he explained.
“This season I will try to do more laps and think more about performance.”
“Luckily, there are fewer new things on the bike than in the past, because it’s the last year of these regulations.”

That technical stability, he believes, should allow Ducati to establish a strong base setup early and carry it through the season.

“It will be important to find a good base and a good performance and try to keep it for the whole season,” Bagnaia added.

Beyond performance, Bagnaia also addressed speculation surrounding his future, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season alongside much of the MotoGP grid.

“Honestly, I’m quite calm about it,” he said.
“I just want to think about this season, because I know there will be a big regulation change for 2027.”

With many riders facing similar uncertainty, Bagnaia insists his focus remains firmly on the present.

“Many riders finish their contracts, so it’s important to have the right mentality in the championship,” he concluded.
“I’m quite calm about what will be next year.”

The 2026 campaign will mark Bagnaia’s sixth season with Ducati’s factory MotoGP squad, having begun his premier-class career with Prima Pramac Racing. After a year of reflection and reset, the coming season represents a crucial opportunity for Bagnaia to reassert himself at the front of MotoGP’s increasingly competitive grid.