Fabio Di Giannantonio, 27, confirmed he will join KTM’s factory MotoGP team for the 2027 season and will race alongside Alex Marquez. He finalized the deal Saturday night in the Le Mans paddock. He had set a Friday deadline during the French Grand Prix weekend for Ducati and VR46 to meet his financial demands, and accepted KTM’s offer when they requested more time.

The signing fills KTM’s two factory seats for 2027 as the team concentrates on developing its 850cc prototype and gives KTM a settled pairing ahead of the regulation change. Multiple outlets, including Sky Italia and MotoGP journalist Rosario Triolo, reported the transfer, and reports said Di Giannantonio beat late advances from Honda. KTM’s need for riders was underlined by reports that Pedro Acosta is due to join Marc Marquez at the official Ducati team.

Di Giannantonio’s departure opens a VR46 vacancy that incoming Fermin Aldeguer is expected to occupy, leaving VR46 to name a teammate. Nicolo Bulega and Luca Marini have been identified as the main candidates. Bulega is a Ducati WorldSBK factory rider and a MotoGP test rider with a promised promotion to MotoGP. Marini’s situation at Honda is described as unsettled, and reports differ on who would cover salaries, with one account saying VR46 would need to cover Marini’s salary and pay Ducati for a full bike and another saying Ducati covers VR46 riders’ salaries. Official 2027 rider announcements remain on hold as manufacturers negotiate with MotoGP’s commercial rights holder SEG.