Two young riders – Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia – will be leading the charge for Ducati during the 2021 MotoGP season. The team has revealed the all-red bike in its new livery for the upcoming season which will kick start at Qatar in March this year.
Jack Miller, 26-year-old from Australia, and Francesco “Pecco Bagnaia, 24-year-old from Turin, will ride in their first season as official riders of the Borgo Panigale-based squad in the MotoGP World Championship. The iconic Ducati red colour returns to predominate the two bikes’ liveries where the Lenovo logo also stands out. Announced as Title Partner of the Italian team with a three-year agreement, Lenovo first became Ducati’s sponsor and partner in 2018.
Over the past three seasons, the company has contributed to developing new strategies and innovations related to racing as a Technical Partner of the team. With the new agreement, Lenovo will guarantee even greater support to the official Ducati squad, which from this year will be named Ducati Lenovo Team.
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation, the 2021 MotoGP season currently sees 19 Grands Prix confirmed. It will officially get underway on 5th March in Qatar with a day of testing reserved for rookies and test riders, in which Michele Pirro and the Ducati Test Team will also participate. On 6th-7th March, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia will finally take to the track with their new team at Losail International Circuit for the first official two-day test for 2021, followed by three more days of testing, also in Qatar, from 10th-12th March. Doha Circuit will also set the stage for the first two Grands Prix of the year, held in the evening, from 26th-28th March and 2nd-4th April.
Ahead of the new season, Luigi Dall’Igna, General Manager of Ducati Corse said, “The start of a new season is always a special moment, and this year even more, as we have a completely new team. We have two new riders with us, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia. Both are extraordinarily talented, they’re young, but they have already a lot of experience on our bike. Jack and Pecco have great potential, and I think that together we can fight not only to defend the Constructors’ Title won in 2020, but we can also aim for the Riders’ Title. As per this year’s regulations, we cannot modify some of the bike’s components. Still, during winter, we have been able to work on many other aspects to improve our bike’s competitiveness and be ready to start the new season. From 2021 we will also be able to count on even greater support from Lenovo, which has been our partner since 2018 and with whom we have worked very well together over the past few seasons. I’m sure that together we will be able to achieve even greater success this year while entertaining and bringing excitement to all the Ducatisti around the world.”