Francesco Bagnaia has received ‘help’ from Casey Stoner in three areas of his Ducati bike at the Misano test

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Francesco Bagnaia hasn’t been able to figure out what has been holding him up on Ducati’s GP25 bike in 2025.

The two-time champion’s pace has dropped as teammate Marc Marquez has dominated the championship on his way to a seventh career triumph. Ducati expected the two to be fighting on even ground this season, but it hasn’t particularly been close.

There’s little Bagnaia can do to solve his woes other than wait for the winter to arrive, when a new bike can be built with more of the GP24’s characteristics. It was a machine he won 11 MotoGP races with last year, despite missing out on the title.

‘Everyone’ at Ducati is fed up of seeing Bagnaia do one thing now that he’s one bad weekend from falling outside of the top three in the standings for the first time in three years. After struggling at the Misano sprint, Bagnaia was spotted making a ‘weird’ gesture after losing five places. He wasn’t happy.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez looked ‘really nervous’ at Misano after facing what Francesco Bagnaia has felt all year

Francesco Bagnaia has received ‘help’ from Casey Stoner with his Ducati bike at Misano test

Luigi Dall’Igna can’t get through to Bagnaia, and his recent ‘I can’t do it’ admission says everything about his situation. The team have grown tired of seeing him struggle, and so have his fans who became so used to seeing him contend for victory every week.

Now the 28-year-old is no longer contending for the podium every week, and his seat is starting to look a bit vulnerable heading into 2026. Pressure will be on to find some improvements, otherwise, he could be forced into a move.

The latest in-season MotoGP test offered an opportunity for him to experiment even further with his bike and try to find some more speed within his bike.

According to a post by journalist Niki Kovacs on X, the Italian has enlisted the ‘help’ of two-time champion Casey Stoner on Monday, in a bid to figure out what he’s doing wrong.

The Aussie always found a way to drag his below-par machinery to the top, and his expertise could be very handy, given that he only retired in 2012.

READ MORE: Marco Melandri warns Francesco Bagnaia why ‘very little will change’ after his nightmare 2025 season

Why Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati nightmare highlights the big problem with MotoGP

Bagnaia’s Ducati nightmare highlights a big problem with the modern-day perspective of the championship.

It hasn’t even been 12 months since he started to drop off a cliff, and already, there are suggestions that he should be replaced.

He has made no secret of the idea that he wants to retire from the sport with his current team one day, but first, he has to continue to deliver.

Maybe he makes a return to a style of bike similar to the GP24, and it sparks a comeback in 2026. In just a few months, he could be a championship contender again.