Now that Francesco Bagnaia's renewal by Ducati for the next two years to the end of 2026 is complete, the performance advantage offered by its MotoGP bike will allow the Borgo Panigale chiefs to apply a policy of cost containment to pay the rest of the manufacturers' riders.
Pre-season testing at both Sepang and Losail suggested that the season that gets underway in Qatar on Sunday may well be a continuation of the previous one, in which Bagnaia clinched his second MotoGP crown in a row. Should that be confirmed with any of the Desmosedici riders, the Bologna-based manufacturer would be celebrating its third consecutive title and fourth in its history after dominating every aspect of the competition.
