FIRST LOOK: Mooney VR46 Ducati presents 2022 MotoGP colours

These are the 2022 MotoGP colours for the new Mooney VR46 Racing Ducati squad, which will run Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi during its first season as a full premier-class team, plus Celestino Vietti and Niccolo Antonelli in Moto2.

After seven seasons in the Moto3 and Moto2 classes, Valentino Rossi's team made a partial MotoGP entry last season, running Marini's side of the Avintia garage.

VR46 then effectively took over the Avintia grid slots for 2022, signing a three-year deal for Ducati machinery and initially expecting title sponsorship from Aramco.

However, the Saudi funding proved a mirage and Mooney subsequently stepped in as main sponsor of both the VR46 MotoGP and Moto2 teams, with a deal that was struck 'within three weeks'.

Sky Italia had been the team's main sponsor from its 2014 Moto3 debut until 2021, which coincided with Valentino Rossi's retirement as a rider.

Team owner Rossi said at the launch: "This year, for the first time, we are doing MotoGP. It's a bit like closing a circle, but it's also nice to start another beautiful story in MotoGP.

"The bikes are very beautiful and now let's understand what the track tells us…"

“It was the right time to take up this [MotoGP] challenge, a new chapter of this book always under the sign of the Italian spirit and the DNA of VR46 and Valentino who is 100% involved," said Alessio 'Uccio' Salucci, team director. "He has always been innovative and here too there is his mark.

"Special thanks to all of our partners who continue to believe in this project and a welcome to Mooney, who joins our family as a title partner. Without their support it would not have been possible to arrive here, we hope to be able to really repay everyone for their trust in the best possible way".

Marini took a best of fifth place (and a front row start) on 2019 machinery during his rookie season, but is now jumping to the very latest GP22 Desmosedici machinery this season.

After a rocky start due to technical gremlins at Sepang, the 24-year-old Italian took his new bike to the top of the timesheets on the penultimate day at Mandalika and finished the Indonesian test third overall.

"Everybody is riding really well and everyone more or less has an official bike," Marini said of the upcoming 2022 MotoGP season. "I really like when things are highly competitive like this.

"You have to work on every small detail and I think this year as a team we can really make a difference. Thanks to Ducati for their support and I'm sure we can enjoy this year."

Bezzecchi has year-old Desmosedicis for his debut MotoGP season. The Italian finished in 20th place at Mandalika but was the fastest of this year's five rookies, edging out Gresini's Fabio di Giannantonio on the same-spec GP21.

"It's been a long pathway to MotoGP," said Bezzecchi, a triple race winner in both the Moto3 and Moto2 classes. "I'm really happy and I still haven't digested it.

"It's going to be a really good season, I have a lot to learn as a rider but we already enjoyed so much the tests. I am really thrilled."

The new Mooney livery also extends to the continuing Moto2 project, which will run Vietti and rookie team-mate Antonelli on the Kalex chassis this year.