The 2022 MotoGP season hasn’t even started, but the Ducati Factory team is rewarding Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, its top rider, with a two-year contract extension. The contract will reserve the number one seat for number 63 through the 2024 season. While many critics and fans expected the Bologna brand to take the Italian rider off the market sometime during the 2022 season, the signing shows a commitment on both Bagnaia and Ducati’s side.
After struggling in his 2019 rookie season and making strides in 2020 with the satellite Pramac Ducati team, Pecco stepped up his game when he entered the Ducati Factory squad in 2021. Finishing the year with four wins, nine podiums, and six pole positions, the Italian rider finished second in the title standings and pushed 2021 champion, Fabio Quartararo, throughout the latter half of the season.
