Ducati announce shock rider sacking days before major Grand Prix

11:30, 28 May

Andrew McLarney is a MotoGP reporter for GPBlog. With three years as a professional writer across the sports and video game industries, his early passion for combat sports evolved into a deep interest in UFC and eventually motorsport — with MotoGP becoming his primary focus. On top of that he is also an avid follower of MXGP and AMA Supercross as well as F1 and GT racing.

While Ducati’s MotoGP team have been known to be quite brutal in recent years when it comes to dismissing riders, their MXGP department have taken it to a whole new level.

The Red Bull-sponsored Ducati Motocross team announced that they will be parting ways with Swiss rider Jeremy Seewer with immediate effect. The reason for the termination is not exactly clear, though it is fair to say that the rider has not gelled with the machinery since joining the team in 2025.

After a reasonably successful first season in which Seewer managed to score two podiums, his second stint has been an underperformance to put it mildly. While Ducati’s MX team are still relative newcomers and nothing like the dominant force of the MotoGP department, Seewer’s season-best performance of 15th place in Switzerland doesn’t look especially good any way you slice it.

The Ducati rider currently sits in 22nd out of 36 in the overall rankings, though is still ahead of fellow Ducati rider Andrea Bonacorsi. An official statement from Ducati Corse read as follows:

"Ducati and Jeremy Seewer announce that they have mutually agreed to end the collaboration between the Swiss rider and the Red Bull Factory MXGP Team, with immediate effect.

The official Ducati team in the MXGP World Championship will continue its participation in the 2026 season with Andrea Bonacorsi and Calvin Vlaanderen, starting from the German GP in Teutschenthal scheduled for May 30-31.

Ducati would like to thank Jeremy, with whom the Italian manufacturer scored two podiums in 2025, with third places in Frauenfeld (CH) and Ernée (FR), and wishes him all the best for the continuation of his career."

The statement doesn’t make clear the reasons for the sudden termination, but Seewer shared the same message to his personal Instagram, indicating that it was mutual decision and not one done in bad taste.

During his career, Seewer has finished as a championship runner-up on five separate occasions, with 13 wins and 51 podiums across the MX2 and MXGP classes.

As yet, it is unclear whether will compete for another team or even participate in the remainder of the 2026 MXGP season.

Seewer riding the Red Bull Ducati in Sardinia, Italy [Photo: Red Bull Content Pool]

Marc Marquez confirms Italian GP return: 'See you in Mugello!'

In MotoGP News, Ducati have gained a rider in the form of Marc Marquez who returns after his bone-breaking crash in Le Mans just a few weeks ago. Read all about how the reigning world champion announced his return here.

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Ducati announce shock rider sacking days before major Grand Prix

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