Francesco Bagnaia has just shown where he has vastly improved with Ducati despite his Catalan Grand Prix struggles

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Francesco Bagnaia is now on his longest run without a MotoGP podium in three years after further struggles at the Catalan Grand Prix.

The two-time champion didn’t really look like challenging teammate Marc Marquez all weekend, as he battled gremlins with Ducati’s GP25 bike.

Bagnaia is on course for his worst win total in five years, with his singular triumph coming courtesy of a Marquez retirement at COTA.

The Italian rider faces a challenge to finish in the top three of the MotoGP standings, with the likes of Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi aiming to move past him in the final seven races of the campaign.

Bagnaia faces a ‘very difficult situation’ at Ducati, and even his bosses have tried calming him down amid his difficulties.

Fortunately, he has a contract for next season, but Bagnaia has held ‘very serious’ meetings in an attempt to cure his issues. Nothing seems to have worked so far.

READ MORE: Ducati may finally have given ‘frightened rabbit’ Francesco Bagnaia exactly what he’s been asking for

Francesco Bagnaia learned a ‘lesson’ from his Ducati mistakes after Catalan Grand Prix struggles

Bagnaia needs to ‘trust’ Ducati more under braking if he wants to get back to his old form, which led him to 11 victories in 2024.

However, he did fall short of the title last year as well, despite being in the best situation of any rider. Mistakes cost him a third consecutive crown.

After mulling over his faults last winter, he came back refreshed, but hasn’t been the same rider since. Now, he is using that reflection to improve.

He told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com that he learned a ‘lesson’ in 2024, and that he is making sure he finishes every race even if a magnificent result isn’t on the cards.

“Actually, I’ve been taking risks all season, I’ve been taking a lot of risks,” he said. “The truth is, as I’ve said all season, last year was a lesson. It’s more important to finish races than to get knocked out.

“However, now, despite not having achieved fantastic results, I’m still third in the championship and I have to keep going like this.”

READ MORE: Luigi Dall’Igna shares his ‘important’ verdict on Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati position after Balaton Park

Why Francesco Bagnaia could be back to his very best with Ducati in 2026

Despite being very off the boil in 2025, there’s a strong chance that Bagnaia’s woes could be cured this winter when his bike is stripped back.

It’s something that is a bit costly during the season for them to carry out, but whatever changes they make should bring it more in line with the GP24.

There’s a chance that he can be on par, or even better than Marquez on his day, but he just needs to have confidence in the bike beneath him.

The regulation changes for 2027 could even end up being Bagnaia’s biggest saviour, if Pirelli’s new tyre ends up suiting his riding style more than the current Michelin rubber does.