The season after Valentino Rossi left MotoGP as a full-time rider will be the season when the # 46 will enter the World Championship with his own team. With this in mind, VR46 has already signed a contract with Ducati to get access to two of its motorcycles: a GP22 for Luca Marini and a GP21 for Marco Bezzechi.
About this Italian relationship, Paolo Ciabatti, Sports Director of Ducati Corse, said that despite the contractual relationship with Ducati, VR46 will remain independent. This independence allows the team, according to the official, for example to choose the drivers themselves with whom it will compete in the future.
‘As you know, VR46 wants to remain brand independent. This academy was born from an idea by Valentino and his group of close associates. The Academy goes its own way and is still not committed to any brand other than asking Yamaha for bikes to train on. As a team, they also love to remain independent when choosing a driver. [Franco] Morbidelli and [Francesco] Bagnaia was the academy’s first rider in MotoGP. At the beginning of February 2018 we had the opportunity to sign with Bagnaia before he started his second season in Moto2. He wanted to be a Ducati rider. So the academy managers tried to negotiate with us the best possible deal for him to fulfill his wish with Ducati, ”he told Speedweek.
It is noteworthy that Rossi’s team has not yet made the official announcement. It is only known that the still MotoGP rider will have his own team and that this will have Ducati motorcycles. The drivers have not yet been officially announced, but the entire paddock is talking openly about the names of Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi; even Valentino Rossi himself.