Francesco Bagnaia reveals his only frustration about working with Casey Stoner in the Ducati garage

Add as preferred source on Google

Despite results suggesting otherwise, Francesco Bagnaia felt like he benefited from Casey Stoner making an appearance in the Ducati garages at the San Marino Grand Prix, but he has voiced his frustration regarding one aspect of the MotoGP legend’s visit.

Stoner’s advice to Bagnaia worked until it didn’t at Misano. The Italian rider admitted that he was ‘living a nightmare’ in the current MotoGP campaign after crashing out of the San Marino Grand Prix in an unforced error.

The former Ducati man was hands-on with Bagnaia’s bike in the garage and even checked the Italian’s telemetry in hopes of offering his two cents to the rider and solving at least some of the issues he has faced.

Despite the scoreless performance across the San Marino GP weekend, Ducati were satisfied with Bagnaia’s crash due to the fact that it showed them he was pushing the bike to the very limit.

It’s something he hasn’t done often in the current campaign, with the off at Misano being his second DNF of the year.

READ MORE: Luigi Dall’Igna warns Francesco Bagnaia that ‘everyone’ at Ducati is fed up of seeing one thing

Francesco Bagnaia wishes Casey Stoner was around ‘more often’ to help him at Ducati

Stoner is a welcome figure within the Ducati stable, owing to his stature as the man to bring the Italian constructor their first MotoGP title in 2007.

Atop a bike that Stoner once said was being ‘eaten alive’, the Australian rider won 10 Grands Prix, showcasing his ability to maximise the performance of difficult machinery.

That makes him the perfect advisor to Bagnaia, who is experiencing similar difficulties, but without the results.

Ducati teammate Marc Marquez has instead reaped the rewards of the GP25’s performance, adapting to it and setting himself up for a seventh MotoGP title in the process.

“Stoner? He’s always a great support,” Bagnaia told journalists after MotoGP’s final in-season test at Misano, via MOW. “This morning I saw him working on the bike; he once told me he wanted to be an engineer.

“He has an incredible eye, he’s super analytical, sometimes even too much, but for me today, he was very important. It’s a shame he can’t always be there: we understand each other, we have similar ideas, and we talk often.

“He came spontaneously to help me, and he also has an excellent relationship with Cristian Gabarrini. When Casey Stoner is there, he makes the difference.”

READ MORE: Alex Marquez has now changed his mind about Francesco Bagnaia after what he saw at the San Marino Grand Prix

Francesco Bagnaia is in danger of losing out on P3 in the championship to Marco Bezzecchi

Marco Bezzecchi has emerged as a serious contender to dismount the two-time MotoGP title winner from his third-place standing in the riders’ championship.

Scoring five podiums in the last seven races in the Grand Prix format, Bezzecchi’s results put him second to the dominantly high-flying Marquez.

The Aprilia rider finished the San Marino GP half a second behind the Ducati man after Bezzecchi secured pole position and the Sprint race win on Saturday.

He sits just eight points behind Bagnaia in the riders’ standings, and when taking into account the recent form from both riders, the 26-year-old can leapfrog his compatriot at the next round in Japan.

The Japanese Grand Prix could also be the round where the championship leader wraps up his seventh MotoGP title. Marquez requires a decent haul of points at Motegi to ensure that he is uncatchable in the remaining rounds of the season.