Ducati has all its MotoGP riders – including those from satellite teams – out of contract this year. Two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia is no exception, but General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna hopes this won’t be the case for much longer.
Regarding the contract situation, the Italian official began by stating to GPOne.com: ‘Contracts are expiring. They deserve a factory bike, and we have a limited number of them. It will be difficult to make them stay. We will try to adopt the old philosophy, which is to ‘fish’ among young riders’.
Having been the champion for the last two years, the most prioritized rider to retain is naturally Bagnaia, as Dall’Igna emphasized: ‘The intention is to close his deal before the start of the season. As an agreement with a two-time MotoGP world champion, it is never easy. There is always work to be done, and it will have to be done’.