MotoGP Background: Why Gresini almost broke with Ducati

– Fermin Aldeguer will no longer ride for Gresini in the 2027 MotoGP season, but will move to the other Ducati satellite team, namely VR46. This led Nadia Padovani’s team to explore the few alternatives available to them before agreeing on a contract extension with Ducati, which is now considered as good as sealed.

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In many families with two or more children, it is the parents who have to mediate in domestic conflicts when tensions arise from jealousy and sibling rivalry.

Applying this to the MotoGP paddock, Ducati has been taking on the role of peacemaker between the two Italian satellite teams, VR46 and Gresini, for several years. Because things don’t always run smoothly behind the scenes.

If you ask both garages about the relationship between the two teams, the answer is consistent: “We don’t get along at all.” However, Ducati does not leave it at that, but goes one step further to mediate.

“It’s exactly as if we had to constantly mediate between two children who are always at each other’s throats. It’s very wearing,” confirms a Ducati team executive to Motorsport.com Spain, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com.

Ducati ensured Aldeguer’s move to VR46

Tensions between the two parties have recently intensified significantly after the decision was made that Aldeguer will change teams from 2027. The Murcian will step into VR46 leathers at Ducati’s instruction.

This decision significantly upset those in charge in Faenza. So much so that even the contract extension with the Bologna-based manufacturer, which expires at the end of the season, was in jeopardy.

Even Aldeguer could not get his way. He had always emphasized that if he had a free choice, he would not leave his current team. The gap that Alex Marquez will leave, whose future lies with KTM, will be almost impossible to fill.

That is exactly why Gresini had banked on being able to keep the #54. A goal that was not achieved for several reasons. First of all, one must not ignore the fact that VR46 has taken over the status of factory-supported team previously held by Pramac.

The team from Tavullia signed a two-year contract (2025 and 2026) with a renewable option for three further years (2027, 2028, and 2029), which was considered a mere formality and has since been confirmed.

The fact that an official announcement is still pending is due to the general freeze on announcements initiated by the manufacturers (MSMA) as a means of pressure against the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MSEG).

Negotiations have been ongoing for months over the terms of the new commercial framework, which is intended to bind the teams to the organizer of the motorcycle world championship for the next five years. Most recently, there were high-level meetings in Austin with representatives of Liberty Media.

Gresini more successful than VR46 so far

The “factory support” label secures VR46 a number of advantages over the other Ducati customer teams. Advantages that, however, have not translated into results or corresponding visibility over the past two years.

In 2024, the spotlight was largely on Marc Marquez. He and his brother finished the year ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli in the championship standings. In 2025, it was the brilliance of Alex Marquez, who became runner-up with three wins and a total of twelve podium finishes.

This stood in contrast to Di Giannantonio (four podiums), who finished sixth in the championship, and Morbidelli (two podiums), who finished seventh. Aldeguer finished just behind both, although his victory in Indonesia and his two other podium finishes made many headlines.

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In fact, there are voices arguing that the Desmosedici GP24, which Alex Marquez and Aldeguer rode in the 2025 season, was more balanced than Di Giannantonio’s GP25, even if no one would have expected that beforehand.

To understand Aldeguer’s next step, a look at his contract is essential, which binds him directly to Ducati. Despite his desire to ride for the factory team in 2027 and compete alongside Marc Marquez, he took up an option that was already in the original contract.

The contract with Ducati was signed before his final Moto2 year (2024) and runs until 2028. A salary increase for the Spaniard was another decisive factor that led him to become the first non-Italian to ride for VR46.

Aldeguer will thus have the latest motorcycle specification, the same as Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta. It is nevertheless assumed that all Ducati models will be almost identical in 2027, when the new technical regulations come into force.

Further development during the season will then make the difference between the factory riders and the satellite riders. Therefore, Motorsport.com Spain assumes that Aldeguer’s teammate will receive the “standard” package.

Di Giannantonio’s strong performance in the three race weekends so far puts him in pole position to keep his seat, although VR46 would also not be averse to signing Nicolo Bulega, who was already part of the VR46 Academy in the past.

Gresini explored alternatives and has a rider for 2027

Aldeguer’s move was the trigger for Gresini to explore available alternatives regarding a motorcycle partner. However, the possibilities were limited. The relationship with Aprilia is just as bad, if not worse, than that with VR46.

They had worked with the manufacturer from Noale between 2015 and 2021. The relationship broke down when Aprilia entered as an independent manufacturer in 2022 and Gresini joined Ducati.

Although they sat down with Honda, it remains unclear whether there was a real chance of reviving the partnership through which Sete Gibernau (2003 and 2004) and Marco Melandri (2005) once became runners-up.

Or whether this was merely a strategy to improve Ducati’s offer. Either way, the Honda option did not materialize, which, given the unappealing situation at Yamaha, led to a continuation with the previous partner appearing to be the best solution.

As for the riders: the first to ride for Gresini will be Daniel Holgado. The Spaniard, who is currently in third place in the Moto2 overall standings, had held talks with Yamaha.

But according to Motorsport.com Spain, Holgado informed the officials of the manufacturer from Iwata in recent days of his decision that he has chosen Gresini. There are several candidates for the second seat.

The favorite is Enea Bastianini, who desperately wants to return to the team with which he took his first victories in the premier class (2022). The problem for him: KTM holds a contract option for another year and would have to release him.

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