MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi plans to make a more consistent return to the paddock in 2025 after focusing on his car racing career in 2024. Having retired from MotoGP at the end of 2021, Rossi quickly shifted gears to compete on four wheels.
The Italian admitted, “I regret not being so present at the MotoGP races in 2024, and I had less time to work with the riders of our Academy. In 2025, I want to be more present, so I will also do fewer car races for that reason.”
Rossi’s 2024 schedule was packed with commitments to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the GT World Challenge Europe. For 2025, the nine-time world champion has set his sights on being a more hands-on figure for the VR46 Riders Academy.
VR46 Academy graduate and double World Champion Pecco Bagnaia faces the, for him, unprecedented challenge of sharing a Ducati factory garage with Marc Márquez in 2025.
Meanwhile, Bezzecchi will take on a factory role with Aprilia while Franco Morbidelli joins VR46 Racing alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio, who will pilot the team’s first factory-spec Ducati bike.
After Pramac Racing’s exit as a Ducati satellite team, VR46 will enjoy full-factory support, including access to one full-spec Desmosedici. After only one podium finish for the team in 2024, Rossi aims to steer them back to the success they enjoyed in 2023.
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