Francesco Bagnaia told his ‘main issue’ was just exposed at Balaton Park after worst Sprint result of 2025

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Francesco Bagnaia’s woes in the 2025 MotoGP season continued at the Hungarian Grand Prix Sprint race, with the Italian failing to improve from his 13th-place grid slot, whilst Ducati teammate Marc Marquez took his 13th Sprint win of the year.

On a track that doesn’t promote overtaking, Bagnaia struggled to make any moves up the field on the narrow and winding tarmac of the Balaton Park circuit.

Bagnaia’s struggles may continue into the 2026 campaign, as Dorna’s move to enforce an engine freeze ahead of the new MotoGP regulations in 2027 means that he is unlikely to feel any improvements to the GP25 in the new season.

The Italian rider is in danger of losing his factory rider status at the team. Bagnaia has been tipped to move to a satellite team in a ‘reshuffle’ that could see Fermin Aldeguer race in red next year.

Francesco Bagnaia’s braking issues were ‘highlighted’ by Balaton Park’s layout

Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of the Hungarian Grand Prix Sprint race, commentators Gavin Emmett and Neil Hodgson discussed the struggles that Baganaia was experiencing during the race and his previous comments on the circuit at a Ducati test.

“We find Pecco Bagnaia behind his former teammate Jack Miller in front of Miguel Oliveira,” Emmett started. “He has just hated this place.”

“Yeah, absolutely not got on with it at all,” Hodgson replied. “He said as much last night, he said he looked at the layout. He came here for a test on the Panigoles on the road bikes just to learn the circuit.

“His weaknesses, basically, this track highlights it. So he’s battling back there with the Yamahas and the satellite Aprilias, basically.”

“It exacerbates his main issue of the year,” Emmett fired back. “Which is braking in a short distance, and turning in. It is completely highlighted by a layout like this.”

Bagnaia has been waiting for Ducati to fix his braking issues since the Czech Republic Grand Prix. It was one of his strongest traits over the last few seasons, which has seen him compete for the riders’ title every year since his first championship feat in 2022.

Ducati are running out of patience with Francesco Bagnaia after another poor result

Bagnaia and Ducati’s relationship is reaching a boiling point after they repeatedly fail to fix the issues he has experienced with the current spec GP25 since the start of the year.

Bagnaia’s result in Hungary will only add to the tension, with Neil Hodgson pointing out that the team are starting to lose patience with the Italian rider due to his failure to replicate the results of Marquez in the garage next door.

The two-time premier class champion has won just one Grand Prix so far this season. The victory came at the Americas Grand Prix after the Ant of Cervera crashed out from the lead in the closing stages of the race.

It isn’t just Ducati that Bagnaia has frustrated with his shortage of results. Franco Morbidelli noted Bagnaia’s lack of battles with Marquez as the biggest disappointment for him during the season.

The Italian rider expected a hot contest between the two riders following the addition of the eight-time world champion to the factory outfit ahead of the current campaign.