PERNAT SAYS BAGNAIA IS SET ON REVENGE AT APRILIA

Carlo Pernat believes Francesco Bagnaia will arrive at Aprilia in 2027 with a powerful motive: revenge. The rider agent says the two-time MotoGP champion has suffered a striking decline since Marc Marquez joined Ducati, and expects Bagnaia to use his new start as a chance to respond.

Bagnaia narrowly missed out on the 2024 title, finishing 10 points behind the champion, and had established himself as one of the sport’s leading riders. But Marquez’s arrival ahead of the 2025 season changed the balance at Ducati. Marquez won the MotoGP crown, while Bagnaia fell to third among the team’s riders. His difficulties have continued into the current campaign, with his move to Aprilia now set for 2027.

Speaking to Moto.it, Pernat described Marquez as the teammate who had affected Bagnaia most. “In my view, of all his teammates, it was Marquez who destroyed him the most,” he said. Pernat argued that Bagnaia’s struggles point to a psychological vulnerability, calling it “a flaw, not a strength.”

He also stressed that Bagnaia had enjoyed continuity at Ducati, with the same team, manager, mechanics and familiar working relationships. “He had it all,” Pernat said, adding that the past two years had shown the Italian to be psychologically weak. He compared the coming season at Aprilia to a test of Bagnaia’s true worth, invoking the Latin phrase “Qui si parrà la tua nobilitate” — “Here will appear your true worth.”

Pernat said Bagnaia had turned down substantial money to make the move, accepting only half, and claimed the rider had made his intentions unmistakable at home. “He’s written ‘revenge’ on a wall,” Pernat said, describing the word as displayed in large capital letters.

The agent’s comments frame Bagnaia’s Aprilia switch as more than a change of team: it is an opportunity to rebuild after two difficult seasons alongside Marquez. Whether the move brings the resurgence Pernat anticipates remains to be seen.