Danilo Petrucci has spoken out about his decision to leave the Barni Spark Racing Team and named who he thinks should replace him.

After three years in the Barni Spark Racing Team, Danilo Petrucci will move on from the Italian team in 2026 as he has signed for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

The Italian joined Barni when he entered the World Superbike Championship in 2023. During their time together, Petrucci won three races and secured 16 further podiums.

Petrucci spoke about what the Barni Spark Racing Team have done for his career after he announced his departure at the end of the year.

"So much, it's like concluding a love story where the feeling is still mutual," Petrucci told GPOne after finalising his move to BMW.

"I thank Marco and his family for everything they have done for me, because they have been wonderful and superb. It breaks my heart to have to say goodbye to them, but I could not pass up this opportunity.

"If I am still here racing today, much of the credit is due to Barni, because after MotoGP, I did not want to know anything about racing on the track anymore, while Marco made me rekindle the desire by betting on me.

"I will forever be grateful to him, we shared many wonderful moments like that weekend in Cremona, and today we want to end this 2025 season in the best possible way by aiming for third place in the World Championship."

There has been a lot of talk in the paddock over who will replace Petrucci for the 2026 season, with Jonathan Rea and Iker Lecuona's names being thrown into the mix.

However, Petrucci has now revealed that he believes Lecuona should get a shot on the Ducati.

"I told him Iker Lecuona," Petrucci explained when discussing who should replace him at Barni.

"Iker is a young rider, very fast, and determined. In my opinion, he could be really competitive riding a Panigale V4."