June 25 (Reuters) - Francesco Bagnaia has signed a four-year contract with Aprilia, the team said on Thursday, a day after Ducati confirmed the departure of the two-time world champion, to be replaced by KTM’s Pedro Acosta from next year.
Bagnaia will join Aprilia from the start of MotoGP’s 2027 season, forming an all-Italian partnership at the Noale-based team alongside Marco Bezzecchi.
“Bagnaia’s arrival is a confirmation of the value of Italian sport, which in recent months has distinguished itself on the world stage thanks to the achievements of Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1, Jannik Sinner in tennis, and Federica Brignone at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026,” Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola said.
“Having a multiple world champion is a responsibility we can’t wait to take on.”
Bagnaia will make his final appearance for Ducati at the Valencia Grand Prix at the end of November, bringing an end to a successful eight-year stint with the Italian manufacturer.
Since joining Ducati as a rookie in 2019, the 29-year-old has become the team's most successful rider ever. He delivered Ducati’s first riders’ championship in 15 years in 2022 and went on to secure a total of 31 victories, 62 podium finishes and 28 pole positions.
However, in the past 18 months he has struggled to match the pace of teammate Marc Marquez, who joined the factory Ducati squad in 2025.
Marquez dominated the most recent season to clinch his seventh world title, while Bagnaia finished fifth, trailing the Spaniard by 257 points.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
