In his second MotoGP season with the Ducati Desmosedici GP bike of the Pramac Racing Team, Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia was able to fight for the top positions during the first rounds of the 2020 World Championship. Stopped by a nasty crash in free practices at the Czech GP in Brno, which cost him a fractured right tibia, the rider from Turin was forced to miss three races before returning at Misano Adriatico circuit in September for the double-header. At the Lenovo Grand Prix of San Marino and Rimini Riviera, although still recovering from the injury, Pecco scored his first podium in MotoGP, finishing second and coming close to winning the following round at his home track. Thanks to his strong performances during the 2020 season, Pecco was promoted to the official Ducati Team for 2021.

Born in Turin on 14th January 1997, Bagnaia took the first steps of his motorcycle racing career in Minimoto racing. Crowned European MiniGP Champion in 2009, Pecco was soon recruited by the VR46 Riders' Academy. After finishing second at the end of the 125 PreGP Championship, the Turin-based rider participated in 2011 and 2012 Spanish Championships in the 125cc and Moto3 categories respectively, finishing both seasons with a win and the third place in the final standings. Ready for the world stage, Pecco made his Moto3 World Championship debut in 2013 with Team Italia, before joining the newly formed SKY Racing Team VR46 the following year. In 2015, with Team Aspar, Bagnaia scored his first podium in the lightweight class, finishing third at the French GP at Le Mans and fighting for the rostrum on several other occasions. In 2016, also his first win in the World Championship arrived at Assen, and with six podiums (including two wins), he ended his third season in Moto3 in fourth place overall with 145 points to his credit.

In 2017 Bagnaia moved to Moto2 with the Sky Racing Team VR46 and was awarded as best Rookie of the Year, ending his first season in the category with four podiums. 2018 turned out to be the decisive year for the young rider from Piedmont who, with eight wins and a total of 12 podiums, won the Moto2 World Championship title, and the promotion to MotoGP for the following year, on the Desmosedici GP bike of the Pramac Racing Team.

After a first part of the season dedicated to adapting to the new category, Pecco began to shine at the end of 2019, achieving an excellent fourth place in the Australian GP. Again with the Ducati of the Italian satellite team in 2020, he managed to take his first podium in MotoGP and fight for the top positions on several other occasions. Thanks to his determination and talent, Pecco has earned himself access to the Ducati's factory team for the 2021 season, during which he will look to aim high in his third year in the premier class.