Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia just cannot seem to maintain a consistent, solid pace on Ducati’s GP25 bike during the 2025 MotoGP season.
The two-time champion now trails teammate Marc Marquez by 110 points after just nine rounds. His pace has not been good enough.
For whatever reason, Ducati’s development has challenged Bagnaia, who has not been able to harness the potential of his machine.
Not even halfway through the MotoGP campaign, and it already looks as though the Italian rider is out of the running, and that a Marquez will take the crown.
Marquez said Bagnaia ‘lacked’ pace at the Italian Grand Prix despite putting up a strong fight in the early laps of the race.
However, out of the blue, Bagnaia ‘suddenly’ suffered an understeer issue and couldn’t ride his way around the problem at Mugello, which hurt his tyre wear and pace as the race progressed.
Claudio Domenicali admits Ducati ‘needs’ to do more for Francesco Bagnaia
Failing to make the podium in Italy was a big disappointment for the fans, but Neil Hodgson was stunned by one ‘weird’ Bagnaia decision at the end of the race.
After fellow countryman Fabio Di Giannantonio passed him for third, he thinks that the Ducati rider simply gave up trying to go fast anymore.
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali recognises the importance of supporting their star man, and told Diario AS what his team ‘needs’ to do for him.
“We must continue working together. He still doesn’t have the bike the way he wants it, with the sensations he desires,” he said.
“The team is working to give Pecco the necessary conditions to be able to ride the race he did here from start to finish. He did it here for a few laps, but when the tires dropped a bit, he no longer had the ability to ride the way he wanted. That’s the work that needs to be done.”
READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo urges Ducati star Francesco Bagnaia to ‘accept’ one thing or he’ll stay a ‘weak rider’
Francesco Bagnaia admits he ‘can’t’ do one thing at Ducati ‘anymore’
The Bagnaia that won 11 races in 2024 feels like a far cry from the one that has taken just the one victory so far this year due to a mistake from his teammate.
Bagnaia admitted he ‘can’t’ push the front ‘anymore’ and that his loss of feeling and confidence is affecting his pace.
Without a mechanical change, it feels unlikely that there will be any real breakthroughs. His Aragon changes were ineffective at Mugello because it’s not a heavy braking circuit.
It meant that he couldn’t turn to the 355mm brake discs to save his day again, because they just wouldn’t retain the temperature required.
The next race at Assen isn’t exactly a Marquez favourite, so there’s another opportunity to bounce back, but time is running out for much of note to come from 2025.
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