Ducati has confirmed that Francesco Bagnaia will join Jack Miller at the factory Ducati team in 2021.
The Italian will move across from the Pramac Racing squad which has announced Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco for next season.
For Bagnaia, it’s the realisation of a dream he’s held for a number of years.
“I chose to be a Ducati rider even before becoming the Moto2 world champion in 2018 and they chose me even before knowing that one day I would become one,” Bagnaia said.
“This was our bet, because up until that moment I had always been a fast rider, but I didn’t have anything concrete in my pocket: Ducati decided to believe it even before everyone else.
“We didn’t know how it was going to go, but to date, if I had to go back, I’d do it all over again.”
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Bagnaia sits 13th in the 2020 season with a best finish of second at the San Marino MotoGP.
He made his debut in the premier class with Pramac Racing last year, finishing 15th in the standings with 54 points to his name.
“My MotoGP debut was complicated, but at Ducati they never questioned me: they gave me all the support and trust a rookie needs and they let me experience in 2019,” the 23-year-old said.
“I listened to them, I trusted them, together we learned to know and understand each other, and now we form a great team.
“They taught me a working method that allowed us to take away some great satisfaction and I think this is just the beginning.
“Today I am the happiest person in the world, for me it is a dream come true: being an official Ducati rider has always been my ambition and I have succeeded together with all those who have always believed in me even when things did not go right.”
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