MotoGP world champion Joan Mir is set to race a Ducati next season for the Gresini Racing squad, according to The Race’s sources in the paddock.

Mir is believed to have won out over Enea Bastianini in the fight for the Gresini seat, to become one of the first riders to secure a satellite team spot on the 2027 grid.

Phased out of the factory Honda line-up as it has moved for Fabio Quartararo and David Alonso, Mir was originally linked to a move to Aprilia’s satellite outfit Trackhouse, reuniting with his championship-winning Suzuki team boss Davide Brivio - before it became apparent that Brivio was set to depart to take over Honda’s factory operation next year.

A Gresini spot had opened up in the meantime, as a consequence of the team losing both of its current riders for 2027 - with Alex Marquez set to switch to KTM and Fermin Aldeguer being moved across to VR46 under his factory Ducati contract.

For a while, Bastianini was reported as Gresini's priority signing to join rookie Dani Holgado (rumoured as having signed already) in the 2027 line-up.

But Bastianini's future was thought to have been delayed by current bosses KTM, with both him and current Tech3 team-mate Maverick Vinales covered by a KTM-held option for 2027 - which limited their ability, as it stands, to commit to anyone else.

According to The Race’s sources, Bastianini is now in line to instead take a Trackhouse seat (vacated by Yamaha-bound Ai Ogura) should KTM choose, as expected, to release him from his deal.

Mir has had a torrid time of late on the factory Honda machine, crashing out of the vast majority of his recent races as he self-admittedly pushes beyond the limit of the RC213V machine.

However, he remains highly-rated within the paddock, and would bring valuable premier-class world champion pedigree to Gresini as the team aims to maintain its underdog race-winning status into a new regulation cycle.

And, speaking to the media ahead of his home race this weekend in Catalunya, he sounded confident about his future despite his relative lack of results on the Honda of late.

“That is a good question,” Mir laughed when asked about having to choose between an Aprilia and a Ducati for 2027. “That I cannot answer, but soon you’ll know about my future. That’s the only thing I can say.

“We are making good steps forward about my future, and whatever decision I take it will be my decision and something that I really want with my heart.

“I’m not in a position any more where I want to stay in one position for something that is not racing.”

Gresini currently employs the crew chief that helped Mir to his 2020 title with Suzuki, Frankie Carchedi, but the distribution of crew chiefs across factory and satellite teams for 2027 remains largely a mystery for now.