Tardozzi dismisses "absurd" rumours about his Ducati MotoGP exit

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi has rubbished speculation that he could be leaving the world championship-winning MotoGP team, branding the rumours as "absurd" and "unfounded".

In recent days, the rumour mill has been rife with talk of a major shake-up at Ducati, with claims that former World Superbike rider Tardozzi could step down from his role after the 2026 season.

A report even claimed that the Italian had a falling out with Ducati’s general manager Gigi Dall’Igna over how the manufacturer handled Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles this year.

However, after making a front-row appearance at last week’s ‘Campioni in Pista’ event at Ducati’s headquarters, the 66-year-old quashed any speculation about his future, insisting there have been no discussions about a potential exit internally.

"There have been absurd and unfounded rumours,” he told Autosport's sister title GPOne.com. "In fact, we asked ourselves why, because there was absolutely no reason."

Asked whether the reports had bothered him, he replied: "Not at all, because I know my relationship with Gigi Dall’Igna, Mauro Grassilli [Ducati sporting director] and Claudio Domenicali [Ducati CEO]. 

"We laughed, wondering why they came out, but I repeat that there is no basis to them. Moreover, when someone writes about ‘internal rumours’, it’s not clear who they are referring to, because there are no internal rumours at all."

Ducati itself poked fun at the speculation on social media, posting a picture of Tardozzi and Dall’Igna ahead of the Bologna event with the caption: "Divorce? Find out more at 12pm."

Asked about the intent of the photo, Tardozzi said: “Yes, there’s no reason for this story, but it’s nice to get people talking. If people think I can be news, that’s fine, but my relationship with Ducati is absolutely solid."

Tardozzi has been in charge of Ducati’s factory MotoGP squad since 2014. He initially enjoyed great success with the Borgo Panigale marque in the WSBK in the 1990s and the 2000s, before moving to BMW in 2010 for what turned out to be a one-year stint.