Bagnaia Disagrees with Valentino Rossi Regarding Ducati's Lack of Support

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia has dismissed the views of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. Rossi had previously stated that Bagnaia was not receiving enough support from Ducati.

Francesco Bagnaia failed to perform well in qualifying for the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix and only managed to secure a 13th-place starting position, behind VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli.

However, Bagnaia performed reasonably well in the sprint race of the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix, finishing in sixth place. This performance then caught the attention of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.

As reported by Motosan, Rossi defended Bagnaia, who is one of the riders from his academy. “I think Pecco has a very good attitude this year. I often meet him, we train together,” said Rossi. “He is really giving his all. He really wants to try to win again with Ducati. That’s the right attitude.”

“I want Ducati to put in the same effort as Pecco to try to get back to the top. Like in a marriage where they used to love each other very much, when bad things happened like last year, I saw their enthusiasm had cooled down significantly,” Rossi added.

Previously, Bagnaia was said to be leaving Ducati in MotoGP 2027 and joining Aprilia with a four-year contract. This statement from Rossi has somewhat heated up the relationship between the two-time MotoGP world champion and Ducati.

“This is just an assumption because Rossi sees what I do, but he doesn’t see what Ducati does,” said Bagnaia. “We are all working hard. Clearly, after last year, a year full of difficulties, we are trying to find balance,” added the Italian rider.