Marco Bezzecchi
Contrary to other suggestions, Francesco Bagnaia has just endured his best-ever start to a MotoGP season after two races.
It may seem a bit crazy considering how disappointing Bagnaia’s pace has been so far this year, but he has the highest points total after two races that he ever has.
The 28-year-old was expected to have a fierce battle with new Ducati teammate Marc Marquez in 2025, but so far the Spaniard has been well ahead of him.
The early part of the MotoGP calendar may have favoured the six-time champion more, but pressure is already ramping up on Bagnaia who knows he needs a good result sooner rather than later.
He has failed to finish inside the top two yet. Marquez has been warned of brother Alex after the two finished one-two in the first two races. Both are well ahead of Bagnaia currently.
Despite looking unsettled at times, Bagnaia’s relaxed response to his Ducati woes shows that he still has the confidence and belief that he can turn things around. A very good sign for the title fight.
READ MORE: Michael Laverty adamant ‘everyone’ is wrong about Francesco Bagnaia at Argentina Grand Prix
Luigi Dall’Igna warns Francesco Bagnaia he ‘must not’ aim for third place
Sunday’s race in Argentina marked the first occasion without Bagnaia on the podium since last September’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – seven races ago.
His Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna has warned that he cannot become focused on earning third place and that he needs to find a way to compete for the spot behind his teammate at least.
“We are working on it, good steps have been made this weekend but there is still work to be done to achieve the goal and I assure you that we will give our maximum commitment to get there as soon as possible.
“With all due respect, Pecco cannot and must not strive so much for a third place, you will lose more without catching it, not even taking into account that it is a track that is not congenial to him.”
The upcoming race at COTA is one of his weaker circuits. He has finished higher than fifth there just once, while Marquez won six times in a row between 2013 and 2018 and has seven victories in total.
READ MORE: Davide Tardozzi is starting to ‘sweat’ more with what Ducati are demanding from Francesco Bagnaia
What Francesco Bagnaia was ‘missing’ at the Argentina Grand Prix
Bagnaia struggled all weekend in Argentina and scraped into Q2 in 10th place. It was a true reflection of just how much he was struggling.
There is a possibility that he completely reverts to his 2024 spec bike, a machine which he has proven that he knows how to win on.
The problem with the current chassis is that Bagnaia privately admitted his Ducati is missing a lot when it comes to the setup.
He cannot seem to get comfortable on it or find the speed required to get ahead of Gresini’s Alex Marquez – a complete shock.
If he fails to turn things around at the Qatar Grand Prix next month, there won’t be any excuses left and his championship charge may be officially over after five rounds.
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