Ducati test rider has now told engineers what Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘biggest problem’ is this year

Add as preferred source on Google

Francesco Bagnaia is approaching a crossroads in his 2025 MotoGP season as he battles to find out what has cost him pace.

If things continue as they are, the Ducati star will be ruled out of contention by the summer break, which isn’t a feeling he has had to face for a long time.

Bagnaia has been dominated by new teammate Marc Marquez and it doesn’t look like he has any answers for the eight-time motorcycle champion.

With just three races to go until the summer break, he needs to get back to winning form soon in MotoGP or he risks losing a lot of his confidence heading into 2026.

After the last race in Mugello, Bagnaia was relieved to hear about one MotoGP regulation which could allow him to return to the GP24 bike next year. He won 11 races and is most comfortable on it.

Even Marquez says Bagnaia ‘lacked’ pace in Italy, but that may have been down to using up too much of his rear tyre early in the race.

READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia achieved ‘really beautiful’ feat against Marc Marquez despite painful Italian Grand Prix result

Michele Pirro believes that Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘biggest problem’ is measuring rider sensations

Bagnaia had plans to ask Marquez for ‘help’ regarding a new fairing added to their bike. They both want developments to add something to their efforts, not make it harder.

Just the 110 points separate them in the riders’ championship, but the Italian has turned around a 91-point deficit to Fabio Quartararo before.

What doesn’t help is that Marquez and Bagnaia are fighting ‘an internal war’ over which upgrades should stay on the GP25. It’s not easy to see eye to eye.

Ducati test rider Michele Pirro has now shared what the ‘biggest problem’ that the team faces as they try to battle Bagnaia’s issues.

“It was a very good race, I don’t see it as a step forward or backward from Aragon. We’re at the same point,” he told GPOne.

“The biggest problem, as I often tell the Ducati engineers, is [that] the sensations of the riders can’t be measured, so you have to work without and find ways to imitate them.”

READ MORE: Davide Tardozzi shares what Ducati are ‘really focused on’ over Marc Marquez’s 2025 MotoGP title bid

What can Francesco Bagnaia do to fix his Ducati problems?

Bagnaia made one ‘significant’ Ducati change at Aragon, which looked as though it had the potential to turn his season around.

He swapped his usual brake discs for larger, 355mm ones, which enabled him to achieve a better result on the Sunday. He couldn’t do the same at Mugello, though.

Bigger brakes require heavier braking zones to keep them within their operating window. When they get cold and fall out of that area, the front of the bike can become more nervous and affect confidence.

While the bigger brakes may help Bagnaia at higher speed circuits, he will be forced to look at other areas for improvement on higher speed circuits with fewer braking zones.

Otherwise, he will continue to be a fair way behind his teammate, who seems to have mastered a lot already.