That’s a lot of money! Francesco Bagnaia is to stay at Ducati and fight for the title. How long will he sign for?

A great talent and probably a future world champion. Francesco Bagnaia should confirm the signing of a new contract in the next few days, which will earn him a lot of money. This will be a very important step for Ducati and it seems that this team has a really bright future.

Bagnaia has been under the wing of Ducati since the start of his MotoGP career, making his debut at Pramac Racing in 2019. He also spent the 2020 season at Pramac, but was promoted to the factory Ducati Lenovo Team for 2021.

After two difficult years with Pramac, when the Italian rider could only manage one podium, 2021 proved to be a breakthrough year.

Bagnaia managed to win four times last season and came home for an amazing second place in the final championship standings. “Pecco”, as the Ducati rider is known, scored a total of 252 points in the previous season.

In the final third of the 2021 season, he was well clear of championship leader and reigning world champion Fabio Quartara, but in the end lost twenty-six points to the Yamaha rider in the final showdown.

Ducati, however, boasted the best top speeds, especially in the second half of the previous season, while their bikes were also the most powerful.

Add to that the other modifications Ducati has made to the new bike and it’s clear Bagnaia will undoubtedly enter the 2022 season as one of the most serious candidates to win the championship.

According to the Motorsport website, Ducati is currently trying to finalise a new contract with the Italian rider that would secure his services to the team for the next two years.

“At the moment we are very close to extending our cooperation. Barring any major surprises, Pecco will continue to ride for us for the next two years,” Paolo Ciabatii, who serves as the team’s sporting director, told Motorsport.

It should be noted that his base salary last year was 800,000 euros, with another roughly 40,000 euros collected for each race of the previous season (for eighteen races we get another 800,000).

In total, he earned 1.6 million euros, which, converted to Czech crowns, makes 40 million. Now it is not yet clear how much Bagnaia will earn if he signs a new contract, but according to the latest speculations it is likely that the amount could be closer to one million.

The question also remains who will be his teammate from 2023 onwards. Jack Miller’s current contract expires at the end of this season and he will most likely leave Ducati. The most serious candidates to win the seat are undoubtedly Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini.

The former managed to win the Styrian Grand Prix in his debut, while Bastianini took two podium finishes. Both have already proven their undeniable talent, so Ducati has very promising prospects for the future.

Sources: Moto GP, Motorsport, Ducati Lenovo Team