Francesco Bagnaia set to receive ‘big hit’ at Ducati if his 2025 MotoGP struggles continue

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Francesco Bagnaia was at a loss to explain his problems at the Austrian Grand Prix. It was another disappointing weekend in 2025 for the Ducati rider.

Bagnaia outqualified Marc Marquez for the second consecutive race as he lined up third behind Alex Marquez and polesitter Marco Bezzecchi. But the Italian could not take advantage of his strong pace on Saturday.

He suffered an awful start in the Sprint race as wheel spin on the rear wheel sent him sliding into oncoming traffic. Bagnaia fell to the back of the grid before retiring from the race, with it being believed that the holeshot device caused the problem.

The 28-year-old looked competitive in the opening stages of the Austrian Grand Prix, but he again fell back and out of contention. Bagnaia finished the race in P8 as Marc Marquez extended his lead to 142 points in the standings with his ninth Grand Prix win of the season.

Luigi Dall’Iigna labelled Bagnaia’s performance as ‘below par’, saying that every weekend is a ‘wasted opportunity’ for him to improve. The two-time MotoGP champion is desperately struggling on the GP25, and there could be huge ‘consequences’ if things do not improve.

Francesco Bagnaia will take a ‘big hit’ financially at Ducati if he loses third place in the championship

Bagnaia’s title hopes in 2025 are all but over. He will have to settle for a best finish of second, but he currently sits 55 points behind Alex Marquez in third, and he is facing pressure from riders behind him.

Bezzecchi’s P3 in Austria moves him 43 points behind Bagnaia in fourth. The Aprilia rider is on a rich run of form and could mount a challenge for the top three in the championship with nine events to go.

If Bezzecchi trumped the Ducati rider for third, he would lose out significantly financially in bonuses, as journalist David Emmett pointed out.

“The consequences for Pecco would be that Pecco would be told that he’s getting a pay cut,” he said via the Paddock Pass Podcast.

“He certainly won’t be collecting a bonus. P3 is a big bonus, I remember from last year.

“It was Bastianini that Marc bumped out of third and it cost him a lot of money. So yeah, financially, it would be a big hit.

“But, yes, there’s every chance that they can do, because Bez is very much on an upwards slope whereas Pecco, unfortunately, is going the opposite way.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

Can Marco Bezzecchi beat Francesco Bagnaia for third in the 2025 championship?

Given the riders’ current trajectory, Bezzecchi does stand a serious chance of usurping Bagnaia for P3 in the standings.

The Italians have similar results over the last seven races, with both having two non-top-five finishes. However, Bezzecchi has four podiums to Bagnaia’s three, one of those being a win at Silverstone.

Furthermore, the Aprilia rider has scored points in the last seven Sprint races, while Bagnaia has done so on four occasions. The Ducati star has struggled to find performance on Saturday as he cannot find any comfort on the GP25.

Bagnaia has concluded that he does not suit the 2025 Desmosedici and has to ride around the problem. The issue is that the Italian is running out of ideas to solve his woes, and he is losing patience as he risks falling out of the top three.