The Tavullia-based team launched its 2026 season in Rome, unveiling the liveries of the Ducati Desmosedici GP bikes livery of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli: black is back, paired with the signature fluorescent yellow.
In the magnificent and sumptuous setting of Villa Miani in Rome, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team unveiled the colours of the Ducati Desmosedici GP with which it will hit the track in the 2026 MotoGP season. For the third consecutive year, the Tavullia-based team will receive the support of the Indonesian giant PT Pertamina Lubricants, that, through the brand owned by Pertamina Enduro, will continue the collaboration to confirm performance and high-tech.
Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli unveiled their Ducati bikes, launching the Black and Light era. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back to the past with its peculiar colours: black dominates the scene alongside fluorescent yellow, VR46’s trademark. The design, created by Aldo Drudi and Drudi Performance, is completed with the sun and the moon will also feature again this year – symbols of Valentino Rossi that, in 2026, stand out in brilliant gold on the sides of the bike. On the front, the iconic 46 is serving as the backdrop to the riders’ numbers, 49 and 21.
In the Capital of Italy, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team – led by Alessio Salucci (Team Director) and Pablo Nieto (Team Manager) – launched its new colours under the careful eye of the Team Owner Valentino Rossi. The squad is ready to once again playing a leading role in MotoGP, where it’s Ducati Factory Supported Team for the second consecutive season. The event welcomed more than 200 guests, 50 accredited journalists, and was broadcast worldwide via TV and web.
Continuity will be a key word for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team: for Fabio, the 2026 season will be his third one with the team, while for Franco it will be his second year with the Tavullia-based team. After a 2025 campaign ended in third place in the Teams’ World Standings, both riders will aim to remain a benchmark in the premier class of the World Championship in the season that will get under way at the end of February.
Rome, with its energy, welcomed the new colours of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, that chose its “home” soil to launch the 2026 campaign. All the team wants to thank Pertamina Lubricants, Ducati and all the team partners for being here at the event. The Tavullia-baesd team takes the opportunity to show gratitude for the trust of the partners working for this project, those who have been with us for years and those who are joining the family such as Lino Sonego, Tsunami Nutrition e Vmoto.
VALENTINO ROSSI
“This will be our fifth season in MotoGP, and we are ready and optimistic. This championship is very tough for all teams; it’s challenging to be consistently at the top. So, that can be our goal this year: to improve and be competitive everywhere and in all conditions, doing better than last year, in which we had ups and downs. The livery is really beautiful, and we’re very happy with how it turned out. Several years ago, we started a project with Aldo Drudi, and over time we decided to make a change and go white. But this year we decided to return to black. We’ve kept the yellow, which is our colour, and gone back to our classic colour scheme with black. Now it also needs to be fast.”
SIGIT PRANOWO – Presidente Direttore di Pertamina Lubricants
“The collaboration between Pertamina Enduro and the VR46 Racing Team continues to grow into an increasingly strong and meaningful partnership. We share the same values – performance, innovation, and global ambition. As we enter the 2026 season, which marks a new phase for MotoGP with new regulations and technologies, Pertamina Lubricants is committed to supporting the team. Through this partnership, we aim not only to be part of MotoGP’s evolution, but also to help shape its future – while bringing Indonesia’s technological pride to the global stage.”
ALESSIO SALUCCI
“The goal is to fight for the top positions with both riders every weekend. The championship is extremely competitive, but we have a very strong technical package provided by Ducati. Moreover, we have two fantastic riders who this year will fully express their potential. For this season, with the livery, we’ve returned to our roots: in 2023, we had decided to move away from our traditional colours and had opted for elegance with white. VR46 has historically been black and yellow, and Vale and I liked the idea of going back to our colours, so that’s what we did. This bike is truly very recognisable, with this black and yellow that are so characteristic of the team. Every start of the season is a moment to thank Pertamina Lubricants, Ducati, and all our partners for the support they give us and for making this project possible. We hope that they, and all the fans we have around the world, enjoy every weekend with us.”
PABLO NIETO
“We know this season will be very tough, because all the riders and manufacturers in the championship will be fast and competitive. But we are very confident for this season, and we will need to stay fully focused to try to be strong right from the first races. I think we can have a great season working together with Ducati, as this is the second consecutive year we are a Ducati Factory Supported Team. This is very important for us. There will be more pressure, but it will push us to be competitive from the outset. We will need to pay attention to every detail in order to be at the top in the early races, as this will make the difference over the course of the season.”
GIANLUCA FALCIONI - VR46 AGENCY CEO
“This is our third year with Pertamina, and we are very proud of this collaboration. Right from the start, Pertamina Enduro felt more like a partner than a sponsor, and it’s been a very positive experience so far. They really wanted to understand what we need in racing, and the communication has always been open and honest. Over these two years, we’ve grown together, and it genuinely feels like we’re working as one team. The goal was to develop a Pertamina Enduro oil that could meet the demands of top-level international racing. We worked closely together, testing and refining it step by step, both in the lab and on track, to make sure it delivers performance, protection, and consistency under race conditions. Using Pertamina Enduro in practice has been very positive. We filled our bikes with it and quickly saw that it performs at a very high level. It’s reliable, consistent, and gives us confidence to push the bike, which is exactly what you need in racing.”
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“This is my third year with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, and I am very proud to be part of it. It will be an important season because, for the first time in my career, I will have the same team around me, and we will have a lot of continuity. This fits well with the new colours: we’ve always had a beautiful bike, but this year the yellow, combined with the return of black, really embodies the VR46 spirit. It’s very racing, very striking… I like it! Last year we ended the season on an upward curve, so the goal for 2026 is to pick up where we left off and build a solid season. Presenting the bike in Rome, my hometown, was very special. It makes me very proud; coming to the capital of Italy was also important for the team, which is Italian. It was a mix of positive and wonderful things for me.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“I’m very happy and excited to start this second season with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team! In 2026, there will be different races and tracks, and the team and I will already have a year behind us, so we know each other better. This will definitely help us during race weekends, and I’m very confident about the season ahead. The new bike is beautiful, I really like it. It’s definitely more aggressive, and I hope even faster! Yellow is a colour I love, and paired with black it creates a racing mix – exactly what we want: to race as energetically as possible! There was a lot of excitement around this launch in Rome, everyone was happy, and it was wonderful to do it in such an important place to me: it’s the city where I was born and where I lived for the first ten years of my life. I have part of my family and many friends here in Rome. And of course, it’s the most beautiful city in the world! A magical place to present the bike and the team.”
