Rossi protege Bagnaia gets 2019 MotoGP seat with Pramac Ducati team
Italian rising star Francesco Bagnaia will graduate to MotoGP as a factory-contracted Ducati rider in 2019, joining satellite team Pramac
The 21-year-old, who is part of seven-time premier class champion Valentino Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy, emerged as a favoured option for a Pramac 2019 ride after a strong rookie season in Moto2.
It was revealed he was in advanced talks with the Italian outfit last month, and Bagnaia will now head into his second campaign in the intermediate class with a MotoGP berth - and a factory contract - already secured for the following year.
His contract with Ducati covers the 2019 and '20 MotoGP seasons.
Bagnaia spent four years in Moto3, emerging as a benchmark rider for Indian manufacturer Mahindra towards the end of his tenure as he scored two wins en route to fourth overall in 2016.
He was placed in Rossi's VR46 team for his Moto2 graduation and ended 2017 as the series' top rookie in fifth place.
Pramac will field a Ducati Desmosedici GP18 for Danilo Petrucci and a GP17 for newcomer Jack Miller in the upcoming MotoGP season.
Neither has a contract beyond 2018 but, while Miller is widely expected to stay on, Petrucci has already confirmed he and Pramac will split after four seasons together.
While most MotoGP seats are yet to be firmed up beyond the current season, Bagnaia joins a growing list of riders who have their post-2018 futures secured.
Rookies Franco Morbidelli and Xavier Simeon have multi-year deals with their respective teams - Marc VDS Honda and Avintia Ducati - as does the Honda-contracted Cal Crutchlow at LCR, while Maverick Vinales' new Yamaha agreement runs to 2020.
BT Sport extends MotoGP UK TV deal until 2021
Tech3 to split with Yamaha after 2018 MotoGP season
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's Portugal win wasn't only vital for his MotoGP title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
How a MotoGP legend is preparing for an unexpected comeback at Goodwood
Wayne Rainey, who’s paralysed from the chest down, will ride his 1992 500cc world championship-winning bike again at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The American motorcycle legend explains how he's preparing to thrill on his first visit to the famed hillclimb