Francesco Bagnaia’s head is ‘falling off’ at Ducati as insiders reveal the truth about his bike

Add as preferred source on Google

Francesco Bagnaia and his struggles with his 2025 Ducati have made the headlines after his dismal weekend at Mandalika.

The Italian qualified P16 and finished the Sprint last on the road, before crashing out from last in the Indonesian Grand Prix. This disastrous weekend came just a week after Bagnaia took pole position and claimed a double victory at Motegi.

Such a dip in performance has left everyone questioning what has happened to the 28-year-old’s bike. However, Ducati have taken a vow of silence over any changes they may have made.

Rumours around the paddock have stated that Bagnaia raced with the GP24 at Motegi, after it was speculated that he tested Franco Morbidelli’s bike during the Misano test. Bagnaia stayed tight-lipped on the matter as he gave tense answers in media interviews.

Davide Tardozzi tried to block people talking about Bagnaia’s bike at Mandalika, but that was exactly what was on everyone’s mind after the Ducati rider went from first to last in two races. Eventually, insiders have now revealed the truth.

Ducati insiders reveal that Francesco Bagnaia did not test Franco Morbidelli’s GP24 at Misano

Journalist Simon Patterson spoke to Ducati team members in Indonesia. They revealed that Bagnaia did not test Morbidelli’s bike at Misano, but rather he used parts from the GP24 – which have been homologated – with this year’s engine.

“So, people talked, because I think people felt they had to,” said Patterson via The Race MotoGP Podcast. “From what I’ve been told, Pecco did not test Franco Morbidelli’s bike at Misano.

“He tested a GP24, but there’s a bit of a disagreement about what actually is a GP24, because, and we’ve talked about this before with other manufacturers where bikes have become fluid.

“There’s not really a 24, 25 spec anymore, the way that they used to be. And especially with the current situation where we have a GP24, for one of a better word, we have a GP25, they’re both on track together. There’s also a GP26, presumably, but it’s going to have to use the GP25’s homologated engine.

“So it’s all a bit vague. And the general feedback I’ve got is that Pecco tested a bike that was largely using bits from last year, but with this year’s engine. And the differences to the engine are much smaller than we thought they were, much more than the paddock rumours up until now have been.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

Francesco Bagnaia’s head is ‘falling out’ at Ducati, but sabotage rumours are ‘nonsense’

Bagnaia was furious with Ducati at Mandalika as he demanded an explanation for his poor performance in Indonesia. Patterson says his head is ‘falling off’, but he dismissed any rumours that he is being ‘deliberately sabotaged’ by his team

“If what I’ve been told over this weekend is right, then the only other option is that Pecco’s head’s falling off,” he added.

“And that they told him last weekend that he had everything he wanted in the world and it worked. And then he got here and for whatever reason, he stopped believing and it all fell apart again.

“Because I can’t think of any… that there is no other kind of solution that makes sense at this point. He’s not being deliberately sabotaged. So this is the most nonsense suggestion in the world. He’s not being deliberately sabotaged.

“He’s not riding a bike developed from Marc Marquez, because Marc Marquez didn’t have enough time on this bike and pre-season to develop it into anything. So it’s not working and what else can it be?”