The reigning champion will remain with the Italian factory through 2028.
BOLOGNA, Italy | June 2026
Ducati has extended Marc Márquez’s contract through the end of the 2028 MotoGP season, confirming that the reigning world champion will remain at the center of the Italian manufacturer’s sporting project during the championship’s next technical era. The agreement reflects the confidence of Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna, who considers the Spanish rider a decisive competitive and human asset. It also provides continuity before MotoGP introduces its new regulations in 2027. Márquez will be 35 when the renewed contract concludes.
The announcement was expected after months of negotiations but carries considerable strategic importance for Ducati. Márquez joined the manufacturer through the satellite Gresini team in 2024 after ending an 11-season association with Honda. His performances on a year-old Desmosedici persuaded Ducati to promote him to the official Lenovo squad in 2025. He then justified that controversial decision by winning the MotoGP world championship in his first season as a factory Ducati rider.
Dall’Igna has repeatedly emphasized that Márquez contributes far more than race results. The engineer has praised his technical sensitivity, competitive mentality and ability to motivate the people surrounding him. Márquez provides detailed feedback while pushing the motorcycle into areas that reveal both its strengths and limitations. For a manufacturer preparing an entirely new machine, that combination is particularly valuable.
The relationship also represents the culmination of a process that once appeared unlikely. Ducati spent years competing against Márquez when he dominated MotoGP with Honda, while the Spanish rider became closely associated with the Japanese factory. Injuries and repeated operations later interrupted his career and left uncertainty about whether he could return to championship-winning form. His decision to leave Honda demonstrated that he was prepared to sacrifice financial security in exchange for a more competitive motorcycle.
Ducati became the platform for that reconstruction. Márquez initially accepted a position outside the official team and raced without the latest factory specification. He nevertheless produced enough speed and consistency to compete with riders using newer machinery. His adaptation convinced Dall’Igna that the qualities that had delivered six previous MotoGP titles remained intact.
The decision to place Márquez alongside Francesco Bagnaia in 2025 created one of the strongest pairings in the championship. It also required Ducati to reject other accomplished riders, including Jorge Martín, who had already demonstrated title-winning potential within the manufacturer’s structure. Dall’Igna accepted the political and emotional consequences because he believed Márquez offered a unique sporting opportunity. The subsequent championship validated that judgment.
Márquez’s 2026 season has been more complicated. Physical problems and additional surgery disrupted the opening phase, preventing him from establishing the dominance many expected after his title. He nevertheless returned with victories that demonstrated his competitive level remained high. His 100th career win across all Grand Prix categories became another milestone in a career already defined by records and comebacks.
The Spaniard remains involved in the current championship fight, although he trails leader Marco Bezzecchi by approximately 40 points entering the Dutch Grand Prix. Aprilia’s progress has made the season considerably more competitive than Ducati anticipated. The rival Italian manufacturer won several early races and demonstrated that the Desmosedici no longer possesses an automatic technical advantage. Márquez’s recovery has therefore become essential to Ducati’s efforts to reverse the standings.
Dall’Igna must manage both the present championship and the transition toward 2027. MotoGP will reduce engine capacity from 1,000cc to 850cc, introduce fully sustainable fuel and modify aerodynamic and ride-height regulations. Every manufacturer will effectively begin a new development cycle. Retaining a rider capable of identifying technical differences quickly gives Ducati continuity during that transformation.
The contract also removes one of the largest uncertainties from the rider market. Márquez’s future had the potential to influence decisions across several teams because any available seat involving the champion would attract immediate attention. His renewal allows Ducati to define the remaining structure around him. Pedro Acosta is widely expected to become part of the official project from 2027 as the manufacturer prepares its next generation.
That possibility could create a new internal balance. Acosta is considered one of MotoGP’s most talented young riders and possesses the ambition to become a world champion. Pairing him with Márquez would combine experience, technical leadership and emerging speed. It would also require careful management from Dall’Igna and team manager Davide Tardozzi to ensure that competition strengthens rather than destabilizes the garage.
Bagnaia’s future has become another major element of the transition. The Italian rider delivered multiple championships and helped return Ducati to the top after years without a MotoGP title. Reports have increasingly connected him with a possible move to Aprilia from 2027. Any departure would carry emotional significance because Bagnaia was central to Ducati’s modern success before Márquez arrived.
Dall’Igna has acknowledged that rider decisions involve human consequences as well as technical calculations. His approach has consistently prioritized the combination he believes offers Ducati the strongest chance of winning. That philosophy produced difficult choices in the past and may do so again. The renewal of Márquez confirms that Ducati sees him as the reference around which the next project will be constructed.
For Márquez, the agreement provides the stability he lacked during the final years of his Honda career. He no longer needs to prove that his injuries ended neither his speed nor his ambition. Ducati has offered him a motorcycle capable of winning and an engineering department willing to interpret his feedback. In return, he has brought the manufacturer another championship and a global sporting profile few riders can match.
The extension may also allow Márquez to finish his premier-class career with Ducati. He has not publicly established a retirement date, but the contract takes him well into his thirties and through the first two seasons of the new regulations. His decision at that stage will likely depend on physical condition, competitiveness and motivation. For now, both sides believe there are still important objectives to achieve together.
Ducati’s announcement is therefore more than a routine contract renewal. It secures a champion, stabilizes technical development and defines the hierarchy of one of MotoGP’s most powerful teams. Dall’Igna has spent more than a decade transforming Ducati from an inconsistent contender into the championship’s central technological force. Keeping Márquez ensures that the next chapter will be led by the rider he considers capable of reaching limits unavailable to most competitors.
Great projects endure when talent and engineering share the same ambition. / Los grandes proyectos perduran cuando el talento y la ingeniería comparten la misma ambición.