Although the 2024 season has not officially kicked off, the first rumours surrounding the 2025 transfer market have already started to circulate. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ducati Corse's General Manager, Gigi Dall'Igna, confirmed that the Bologna factory are "working to sign Bagnaia before Qatar".

The World Champion's contract expires at the end of the current season, and it's clear that Ducati wants to tie down the 27-year-old before the start of a new campaign so his sole focus can be on winning a hat-trick of premier class crowns: "Will he renew before Qatar? That's the objective, even if the contract of a two-time world champion is always complicated."

The General Manager also took the opportunity to refer to the rider completing Ducati's line-up in 2024, Enea Bastianini: "I see him more serene than at the beginning of last season."

Regarding the new star signing of the Italian brand, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing), Dall'Igna highlighted the low profile adopted by the eight-time World Champion in his departure from Honda: "It shows that he is an intelligent person."

The Italian also spoke about the technical situation for the 2024 season: "It's going to be a challenging year because the regulations changed at the end of last year. Now we are a bit inferior to our rivals. They will have more concessions and the possibility to develop the bike further during the season. Precisely for that reason, we will have to start the year with perhaps a faster pace than in 2022 and 2023. It will be a significant challenge."

After a stellar 2023, the General Manager stated that "there is always room for improvement, and that should be our goal. In aerodynamics, perhaps, we have taken another step forward."

Don't miss the updates that the Italian factory will present during the Official Sepang Test next week. Follow all the news on motogp.com.