Francesco Bagnaia leaves Aprilia for Ducati, bringing with him crew chief Casey Stoner

Four years?! 😲 Did Pecco Bagnaia make the right decision for 2027?

Bagnaia rejected a pay cut from Ducati. to head to their Italian rivals. He is set to partner with fellow countryman and VR46 Academy graduate Marco Bezecchi.

In the year The 29-year-old has been heavily linked with Yamaha for 2027 and even 2026 as his struggles in 2025 cast doubt over his future with Ducati. Now, his departure is pending confirmation, and he is holding his chief of staff.

Cristian Gabarini to join Francesco Bagna at Aprilia in 2027

Bagnaia signed a four-year contract with Aprilia From next year. It just popped up. AsAs it has a 2+2 arrangement.

The deal is ‘rare’ in MotoGP today, with Bagnaia tied to Aprilia until at least 2028, with a further two-year option. Marquez was the last rider to sign a four-year contract and did not see it out, leaving Honda before the end of the year in 2024.

Bagnaya is the latest to sign such a contract, and this is not the only development. The Italian is going to take the plane’s chief Christian Gabbarini to Aprilia.

Gabbarini has followed the two-time title since making his debut with Pramac in 2019. He worked closely with Bagnaia at Ducati, dominating two of his titles.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to seed number

Casey Stoner believes former team boss Cristian Gabarini can help Peko Bagnaya turn things around in 2025.

This will not be the first time Gabbarini has left Ducati. Worked with. Casey Stoner In the year during his title-winning season in 2007, before moving with him to Honda.

He later returned to Ducati and worked with Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo before teaming up with Bagnaia. Gabbarini had a difficult time with the Italian in 2025 as he failed to find the right balance with GP25.

Stoner holds Gabbariri in high esteem as a key figure in helping Bagnaya. He said via Crash last year: “It’s very difficult to know exactly where the issues are.

Francesco Bagnaia has completed just two of his last nine Grands Prix – how many D’s will he record in 2026?

But at the same time, it’s not the first time we’ve seen Peko do this and maybe struggle in his first season and find his form and get what he wants.

“So, when someone like Mark is your teammate, it’s really going to help you in the future because – as difficult as this season was for him – you always learn the most from your worst years and your worst moments.

“I think that at the end of this season or maybe even next year, anything that can be learned from this year will be stronger and maybe a bigger challenge for the future.

We will wait and see. Peco and Christian usually work very well and try to find the reasons and get what they want. And if the mood returns, things can quickly go back to normal.