Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia only scored 16 points at the Czech Grand Prix last weekend despite starting on pole. Tyre-pressure issues saw him drop to seventh in the Sprint, and he could only manage fourth on Sunday.
After another perfect weekend, Ducati teammate Marc Marquez has stretched the gap between the two riders to 168 points. Bagnaia is currently third, also behind Alex, and is at risk of dropping further if he continues to struggle after the summer break.
Indeed, Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi closed the gap to 57 points by finishing second at Brno. Slipping behind a rider from another manufacturer would be a new low for the two-time world champion given Ducati’s ongoing dominance.
Rivals like Fabio Quartararo have defended Bagnaia and backed him to regain top form. He came within 10 points of a ‘three-peat’ in his 2024 battle with Jorge Martin.
Pol Espargaro says Francesco Bagnaia ‘didn’t look comfortable’ riding his Ducati
Pol Espargaro made a substitute appearance for KTM last weekend, with Maverick Vinales out injured. It was the semi-retired rider’s first outing since the San Marino GP last September.
During Friday’s practice sessions, Espargaro followed Bagnaia’s Ducati. He noticed that he was making gains on the Italian on corner entry.
Bagnaia says he’s now the weakest rider on the brakes, which used to be his biggest strength. And Espargaro says he doesn’t look ‘comfortable’ on the GP25.
“Well, today’s conditions were very tricky,” Espargaro, who scored eight MotoGP podiums, told outlets including Motosan. “I can’t say that what happened today, as I’ve seen it, is the trigger or what’s been happening in recent Grands Prix.
“It was very easy to overheat the tyre because the grip is so high and the amount of water on the track has changed a lot, so, especially when braking, entering is where I caught him most. Then I went through the corners more or less similarly, he got away a little bit while accelerating, but as I can tell you, he didn’t look comfortable.
“He didn’t look comfortable. In fact, I think his lap was two-tenths faster than mine. Pecco is much better than that.”
In his role as a pundit for Spanish broadcasters DAZN, Espargaro has warned Bagnaia that he must raise his game in practice, thus building a better platform for the weekend. The #63 bike ended last Friday down in 13th place.
What Pecco Bagnaia told Ducati engineers after Czechia struggles
Some will inevitably argue that Bagnaia needs the summer break. But a psychological reset is unlikely to make a difference.
Indeed, the 28-year-old arrives for most weekends with renewed optimism, only to leave feeling dispirited. The fundamental problem is that he’s not comfortable on the bike, which may require an engineering solution.
To that end, Bagnaia gave Ducati confidence that they’re heading in the right direction in Sunday’s debrief. He gave positive feedback on the motorcycle at the start and end of the race.
The challenge now is to address his customary drop-off in the middle third. He’s had a few early battles with Marquez in recent rounds before losing touch when the race starts to settle.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
