Bagnaia and Aldeguer, with the future up in the air after Ducati’s decision

We all knew that the year 2026 would be vital in a ‘market’ key for members of the MotoGPgiven that it is the year in which most of the drivers’ contracts are signed with their respective teams. It is not yet known how the network will be formed for 2027. Teams are accelerating to try to hire their drivers long before the start of the season and proof of this is that decisions are being made well in advance and this could play a trick on some of them.

One of those who seems to have already decided his future is Pedro Costa who would leave the mark with which he debuted in the championship, KTM, sign with Ducati and be Marc Márquez’s new partner. Those from Mattighofen were unable to satisfy the demands of the Murcian driver and everything indicates that this will be the last year in which Coast orange view. With this change, the residents of Borgo Panigale secure their future by hiring the pilot they all love.

Coast is destined to mark an era MotoGP and be a reference in the future, therefore Ducati wants to strengthen the brand for the coming years by signing Murciano. With Marquez being the number one priority from the Italian brand and with its renewal 90% complete, Dall’igna would already have its driver lineup for 2027. These parts movements would leave two big losers: ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia and Fermín Aldeguer.

In the case of the first, Bagnaia, two-time MotoGP world champion dressed in redit was the Italian brand’s standard since it debuted with the team in 2019 with the Pramac Racing Team’s Desmosedici GP. It was two years later, in the 2021 season, that Ducati promoted ‘Pecco’ to the official team. It has been the reference for the Italian brand ever since. In 2021 he won up to four victories, in the following two seasons (2022, 2023) he consolidated himself as MotoGP world champion.

In 2024, he fought until the last race of the year, held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, for the championship, but He was surpassed by Jorge Martínwho was on the satellite team of Ducati. This aroused internal doubts in the Italian team, which thought that ‘I ask’ could have been more aggressive in certain important moments of the season.

However, he had the opportunity to remake himself, neither more nor less Marc Marquez as a teammate. Those from Borgo Panigale consolidated their ‘dream team’ and everyone expected the title to go to the men in red. But nothing could be further from the truth, the Italian experienced his worst sporting season in 2025 and feelings did not improve as the races progressed. At the Japanese Grand Prix it looked like solutions were found, but it didn’t work either.

publicly Ducati He has always shown confidence in the Italian and this could lead one to predict that the driver pairing would be the same, but it seems that will not be the case. This leaves him in the position of having to decide his future away from the Italian factory.

This would be the first time Bagnaia has been away from Ducati since he debuted in MotoGP. The options to occupy an official motorcycle are running out, it is worth remembering that there are only ten vacancies with an official motorcycle available and the market is already busy. The riders are accelerating to try to close the future before the start of the season and the Italian cannot sleep if he wants to opt for one of those much-desired factory bikes.

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Aldeguer is left without a place

On the other hand, the other injured party would be Fermín Aldeguerwho has a contract with Ducati. The Murcian hoped to have some option of being able to wear red in the official team, but sees how his options disappeared even before the start of the year. I signed the contract with Ducati when he still had one more season left in Moto2. The bet on him was clear, but the option of having Coast in the team you cannot reject him. The most normal thing for him would be to stay in the orbit of Ducati despite not having an official motorcycle, but we will see who are the riders who occupy the much-desired ten factory motorcycle spots on the grid.