Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia couldn’t hide his intense frustration after finishing eighth at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. The mood on his side of the Ducati garage continues to worsen.
It was thought that Bagnaia may welcome the summer break after bruising 12 races, but it’s clear that his issues are mechanical rather than psychological. Third in qualifying – ahead of Marc Marquez – he retired from the Sprint with an unexplained issue before slipping back to eighth in the Grand Prix.
Asked after the race if he was running out of patience, he replied: “Yes, quite a lot actually. [They’ve said] nothing for now. I’m waiting.”
The unrecognisable two-time world champion has won just one race this year and has only scored three podiums in the last eight Grands Prix (or five of the last 16 races, including Sprints). He’s likely to fall more than 200 points behind Marquez following this weekend’s race in Hungary.
Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati have a serious problem as he waits for desired ‘modifications’
Ducati have consistently expressed support for Bagnaia, even though they too are naturally impatient. But the issues in the relationship are becoming serious.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the situation ‘risks deteriorating to the point of no return’ unless there’s a ‘breakthrough’. A string of positive results could change the narrative, but it’s difficult to see where it comes from.
Indeed, the same outlet point out that Bagnaia ‘has been asking Ducati for modifications’ to the GP25 since the start of the season so he can regain ‘feeling’ on the brakes. Up to this point, ‘no solution has been found’.
Bagnaia refitted his larger brake discs for the Austrian Grand Prix, looking to emulate the relative success he’d had in Aragon, but it made no apparent difference.
Have Ducati tried to silence Pecco Bagnaia in the media?
At the start of the year, it was unthinkable that Bagnaia and Ducati would be discussed in such terms. He is one of the brand’s biggest legends, if not the biggest, and has spent his entire premier-class career on their machinery.
But it seems inevitable now that rivals will be sensing an opportunity ahead of next year’s rider market, although the seat becomes less desirable given the presence of Marquez on the opposite side of the garage.
Mat Oxley reckons that Bagnaia isn’t ‘allowed’ to talk about the GP25 critically in the media. The same goes for Fabio di Giannantonio, who rides a factory-spec bike at VR46.
Carlo Pernat suspects that Yamaha could ‘tempt’ Bagnaia after some tentative links. But for now, his priority will still be regaining top form in red.
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