Francesco Bagnaia reveals the surprising moment he nearly cried during Ducati revival at Motegi

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Francesco Bagnaia achieved his first clean sweep of 2025 as he took pole position and won the Sprint and Grand Prix at Motegi.

It is the Italian’s first win since Austin back in March. Bagnaia has had a frustrating season at Ducati as he has found several problems riding the GP25.

While teammate Marc Marquez has adapted seamlessly to the new bike – he rode the GP23 last year – Bagnaia does not suit the GP25. He has struggled for performance compared to the other Ducati riders, with Marquez winning 25 races thus far, including Sprints.

Before the Japanese Grand Prix, the two-time MotoGP champion had not finished in the top five since the season restarted after the summer break. Ducati were losing patience with Bagnaia as he could not find results; Motegi marked a major turning point for both parties.

Francesco Bagnaia almost cried after taking pole position for Ducati at Motegi

Bagnaia was the ‘only rider’ with a shorter fork at Motegi. Ducati made radical changes to the Italian’s bike during the Misano test after coach Manuel Poggiali and Casey Stoner noticed the machine was shaking.

Ducati weren’t listening to Bagnaia until Stoner intervened and pointed out its issues. Many believe that the Borgo Panigale outfit went back to the GP24 spec on several parts, which drastically improved the rider’s performance.

Bagnaia took pole over Joan Mir by just under a tenth of a second. He was the only rider to break into the 1m 42s, which Davide Tardozzi pointed out to him in parc ferme.

He said, as seen in a behind-the-scenes video from Ducati: “The only 42 ever done in the history of Motegi,” as he applauded Bagnaia. The Italian then admitted that he was close to tears as he walked back to the garage.

“If you listen the interview I did on Sky… I was about to cry,” he said. It is a surprising reaction, given that it should come after winning a race or on the podium, but it highlighted a sense of relief that his problems seem to be fixed.

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What has everyone made of Francesco Bagnaia’s revival at Motegi?

Bagnaia continued his pace in the Sprint and the main race to claim a double victory. Luigi Dall’Igna ‘begged’ stewards not to intervene after the 28-year-old’s bike had plumes of smoke coming from the exhaust on Sunday.

Thankfully, his machine held out to collect a much-needed victory. Tardozzi celebrated harder than ever as Bagnaia took the win; he has been wanting the Italian to return to the top all season long.

Marquez reacted to Bagnaia’s revival, saying that he is making progress ‘little by little’. It was the first time that the Spaniard was beaten by his teammate on pure merit.

The Italian will hope that he can continue this form and finish 2025 strongly. He sits 66 points off of P2 in the standings, but Alex Marquez is not worried about Bagnaia’s revival as he looks to stay ahead of the factory Ducati rider.