Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia was surprisingly optimistic at the end of what was, outwardly, another miserable weekend. He ended his first Hungarian Grand Prix in ninth place.
Bagnaia didn’t even reach Q2 on Saturday, posting his worst qualifying result of the season so far (P15). That paved the way for an anonymous Sprint, where he crossed the line 13th.
He was able to gain more ground during Sunday’s race, but that still only netted him seven points. Teammate Marc Marquez made it seven perfect weekends in a row to extend the gap to 227.
While he’s at risk of falling behind Marco Bezzecchi (now just 31 points behind), Bagnaia sounded hopeful after the race, revealing that a radical set-up change had restored his much-discussed ‘feeling’ under braking.
Pol Espargaro says it wasn’t ‘normal’ to be battling Francesco Bagnaia at Balaton Park
Bagnaia found himself battling with KTM stand-in Pol Espargaro at the Grand Prix of Hungary. Espargaro, who hasn’t raced for a full season since 2022, impressed as the replacement for Tech3’s injured rider Maverick Vinales.
Espargaro, who finished ninth at Brno before the summer break, outqualified Bagnaia at Balaton Park by reaching Q2 and then prevailed in their last-lap tussle for P8.
Speaking to DAZN, he expressed a wish for Bagnaia to return to the front. He’s missed out on the podium in six of the last nine Grands Prix.
Espargaro has already questioned Bagnaia’s comfort on the bike after following him during a practice session.
“I was braking pretty late, but he overtook me on the last lap at the first corner,” he said. “I wanted to overtake him again on the opposite straight, but I think he knew that, so he braked very late.
“I think he braked too much, went wide and I was able to take advantage of that to overtake on the inside.
“Seeing Pecco battle with me isn’t normal. It’s not his position. But sooner or later, he’ll come back, and we’ll enjoy seeing him fight at the top again.”
What Luigi Dall’Igna said about Pecco Bagnaia’s Hungary performance
Bagnaia says he would choose the GP24 over this year’s Ducati if given the choice again. With Fabio di Gianantonio only seventh in the championship and Alex Marquez flying high in second, it’s possible that this year’s bike is a slight downgrade on its predecessor.
Marc Marquez is crushing the field on up-to-date machinery, but he has always been an exception to general competitive trends in the sport.
Luigi Dall’Igna says Bagnaia finally has some ‘hope’ after Sunday’s alterations. There have been multiple occasions this season where he’s proclaimed a breakthrough but shown no lasting improvement.
The next race is in Barcelona, where Bagnaia won three out of four races last season. Historical form hasn’t meant little for the two-time MotoGP champion this year.
But while he made mistakes in Hungary, including the one that cost him P8, he took solace in being able to ride aggressively again.
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