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Reported Ducati Contract Clause
A move back to MotoGP could be in Iker Lecuona’s future, though he could not be set for a switch in 2027 and could not make the return next year. According to a report by GPOne, Lecuona could make the switch thanks to an apparent clause in his new two-year contract with Ducati—signed this summer after he won his first race at Donington—that would allow him to move to MotoGP in 2028, after only one season of his current contract, should he receive an offer to go there from a Ducati team.
Superbike to MotoGP Transitions
If such a move takes place, Lecuona could become the third rider in three years to transition from WorldSBK to MotoGP, according to GPOne. Toprak Razgatlioglu made the switch this year following the clinching of his third WorldSBK title last year. Next year, 2026 WorldSBK champion Nicolo Bulega will move to MotoGP with the VR46 Ducati team.
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Lecuona's 2026 Season and Stand-In Outings
In his first year with the Bologna brand in 2026, Lecuona won four races and finished second in the championship, finishing on the podium in 29 of the 33 races. Alongside his WorldSBK campaign, he also rode multiple races as a fill-in for Gresini, recording solid results such as a seventh in Hungary.
Previous MotoGP Experience and Honda Stint
Lecuona previously competed in MotoGP in 2020 and 2021 before moving to WorldSBK in 2022 with Honda, after KTM dropped him from the Tech3 team to make space for Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez. Following that switch, he spent four years with HRC, a period in which he rode as a fill-in at LCR Honda on several occasions before moving to Ducati for 2026.
Aruba.it Role and Morbidelli Partnership
With Bulega departing for MotoGP next year, Lecuona will effectively move into the team leader role at Aruba.it Racing, where he will be partnered by Franco Morbidelli. Morbidelli will arrive as a MotoGP race winner alongside him, although the 2017 Moto2 world champion has not won a grand prix since 2020, has only been on the podium three times since then, and has been more notable for impeding other riders in practice sessions than for his results on a Sunday.
Performance Demands and Age Factor for 2028
The contract clause clearly opens a door for Lecuona, but the Spaniard will be 28 by the start of the 2028 MotoGP season. He is no longer a rider who can trade on potential, as only results will convince a MotoGP team that he is worth their ride over a promising Moto2 talent. Considering the uncertainty over Bulega’s move for half of 2026, a year in which the Italian won all but four of the races and clinched the title with six races to go, it seems a tough task for Lecuona to be able to achieve the necessary results for a team to want to sign him.
