Pirro said Ducati had no need for another test rider
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 13, 2026
Ducati test rider
Michele Pirro said Ducati had no need to add another test rider right then, and he wanted the factory to keep its focus on stability and continuity as it headed toward 2027, a year he described as one of major change. Pirro said the team had not needed a second tester so far. He also drew a clear line between racing and test riding, saying the job demanded a different kind of commitment because the role centered on development work and helping the team rather than chasing race-day results. That view framed his response to talk around Maverick Viñales, whose name had been tied to Ducati’s test program in some circles but, Pirro said, belonged more in the category of media speculation than a real plan inside the garage. He questioned what Viñales would add in a role built around development, and he said he had heard nothing about the Spaniard joining the program. Pirro also said he doubted Viñales would be fully willing to take on that kind of assignment.
Viñales and Ducati
Viñales entered the conversation with a strong résumé and an uncertain future. The Spaniard was a 10-time MotoGP race winner, but he did not have a 2027 race seat after talks on a new KTM deal with Tech3 broke down, and he was set to leave the MotoGP grid in 2027. That made any link to Ducati’s testing operation a natural talking point, especially after he spoke with team manager Davide Tardozzi around the Japanese Grand Prix. The connection fueled speculation outside Ducati, yet Pirro made clear the team was not acting on it and did not treat a new test rider as a pressing need. In Pirro’s view, the jump from racing to testing was not a simple one. A test rider had to dig into data, development and repeat work, while the race rider’s world was built around speed, competition and results. That split mattered to Ducati as it mapped out its next steps, and Pirro’s comments suggested the company was content to keep its current structure intact rather than chase a change that did not solve an immediate problem. For then, the talk around Viñales was talk, not direction.
Pirro and Bulega
Pirro also used the discussion to underline his own role and the work he expected to keep doing for Ducati. He said he had been the team’s test rider for more than 10 years and expected to stay involved in the development program for the next few years, with Gigi Dall’Igna already having confirmed him for two more seasons. Pirro said he felt ready to continue after shoulder surgery, a sign that he planned to keep the development side of the project moving. His emphasis stayed on the bike, not on the headlines. Pirro said he was focused on helping Ducati develop its machine, and he pointed to the work with Nicolò Bulega as another part of that effort. He said that project was going well and that Bulega wanted to race. That left Ducati with a clear internal picture, at least from Pirro’s point of view, one built around continuity, known voices and a development plan that he believed was already working. In that setup, another test rider did not fit the company’s immediate needs, and Viñales did not appear to be part of the route Ducati wanted to take next.
