Ducati 2027: Two MotoGP Riders Go a Whole Year Without Updates

• All six Ducati riders will start 2027 on a Desmosedici GP27
• Only four riders will receive technical updates during the season
• VR46 has extended through the end of 2029, Gresini remains a satellite team for several more years

Shortly before the summer break, Ducati settled the future of its two satellite teams. Gresini says it will remain a partner of the Borgo Panigale marque for several more years, while VR46 has extended its expiring contract through the end of 2029. Both teams confirmed the news on the sidelines of the World Ducati Week in Misano. That means six Ducati riders will once again line up on the MotoGP grid in the coming years: two in the factory team and four across the two satellite teams. But more interesting than the contract terms is the question of what machinery these six riders will actually be racing in 2027.

Who gets a Ducati factory bike in 2027?

Four of the six Ducati riders will receive updates during the 2027 season. Those are the two factory riders Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta, plus Joan Mir at Gresini and a rider yet to be named at VR46.

At the start of the 2027 season, all six riders will initially sit on a Desmosedici GP27. Only after that does the field begin to sort itself out. While four riders keep receiving new parts, the other two will have to finish the year with exactly the machine they started it with. Over a full season, that can add up to a noticeable deficit, since development steps in aerodynamics, electronics or chassis setup often decide MotoGP races by tenths of a second.

Why can’t Ducati field last year’s machines anymore?

Because a completely new technical regulation takes effect in 2027, making the current motorcycles ineligible to race. For the first time in years, Ducati therefore has to equip all six riders with machines from the same generation.

Until now, the system worked differently. Ducati equipped some riders with the current model while others had to race a previous year’s machine. That distinction disappears, because a new class takes over from 2027: 850cc displacement instead of 1000cc, Pirelli tyres, and significantly trimmed-down aerodynamics. The so-called ride-height devices — systems that lower the motorcycle under acceleration — will also be banned. A motorcycle from the current 1000cc generation simply wouldn’t be eligible to race under these regulations. Within the Ducati family, the pecking order therefore shifts from the bike generation to access to updates.

What changes for Gresini and Joan Mir?

Gresini will get one of the four update packages in 2027, and it goes to new signing Joan Mir. That means the 2020 world champion will receive the same material over the course of the season as Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta.

That’s notable because VR46 is still considered Ducati’s top-ranked satellite team. Valentino Rossi’s squad took over that status in 2025 after Pramac switched to Yamaha. By that logic, both VR46 riders should actually have received factory-spec material. Instead, the two satellite teams are splitting the remaining two update packages evenly. Why it was arranged this way hasn’t been officially explained. It’s conceivable that VR46 has again opted against a second factory-spec bike for cost reasons. It’s equally possible that Gresini negotiated an even split in its new contract. For Gresini, the arrangement also means rookie Daniel Holgado will have to contest his first MotoGP season without any technical development.

Open question in the VR46 camp

Still unresolved is which of the two VR46 riders will get the factory-spec bike. The official announcement of the rider line-up is still pending and is expected soon.

Fermin Aldeguer, who already brings two years of MotoGP experience, is considered the likely candidate. In that case, Nicolo Bulega would have to make do without updates. The reverse scenario isn’t ruled out, however. As a Ducati test rider, Bulega is already involved in developing the Desmosedici GP27 and knows the Pirelli tyres very well from the Superbike World Championship. Both could become an advantage in 2027, especially in the early phase of a completely new technical era.

What does the split mean for the rider market?

The distribution shows just how much access to updates now determines the appeal of a race seat. For Pedro Acosta, that was precisely a key argument behind his move to the Ducati factory team.

The Spaniard had spent most of his MotoGP career as KTM’s top rider, but no longer saw a title-contending package within reach there. He says that ever since signing his factory contract, all he wanted was a motorcycle capable of winning the championship. That motorcycle, he says, never materialized at KTM, and he simply had no more time to lose, as he put it: “I have no more time to lose.” At the same time, he spoke positively about the future KTM factory pairing of Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

In the broader context of the 2027 season, Ducati’s split is therefore more than just an internal administrative matter. It determines which four riders even get the chance, in a year full of technical unknowns, to keep pace with the factory’s development. In a transitional season where every manufacturer starts from zero, that access could decide the pecking order on the grid.

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