Francesco Bagnaia’s MotoGP rivals already know exactly what his biggest Ducati problem is in 2025

Add as preferred source on Google

Francesco Bagnaia’s MotoGP struggles have been one of the most difficult storylines to follow during the 2025 season.

On rare occasions, he has shown why he’s a two-time champion, and on others, he has looked like a shell of his former self. The changes Ducati made to his bike over the winter did not work, and he needs a complete reset for next year.

Pressure is mounting on Bagnaia, who will be very aware that his contract is set to expire at the end of 2026. He needs to do a better job of being close to teammate Marc Marquez if he wants to be retained heading into a new set of rules in 2027.

Bagnaia is no longer top of rival wish lists after his dip in form, and they are wary of his weaknesses and limitations. Even Nicolo Bulega can’t believe Bagnaia has suffered so much, coming off a season where he won 11 Grands Prix and narrowly missed out on a title.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez answers whether Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles will ‘distract’ Ducati’s 2026 development

Francesco Bagnaia’s rivals ‘already’ know his biggest issue with Ducati

While Bagnaia insists Ducati are ‘family’, hiding his frustration has been hard. The absence of his teammate over the next few races presents an opportunity for him to get back on track before the end of the campaign.

However, if the team’s test rider turns up and can get close to him, it won’t be doing his confidence any favours. Bagnaia could join VR46 for 2026 if he wants a route out of Ducati, but that’s unlikely to help him get back to his best.

Peter Bom thinks that every single one of his rivals already know exactly where he is struggling and how it can be fixed. The information hasn’t made it to the media, but it’s a testament to the professionalism of all the riders.

“There is a very small gap of information of where everybody is between the riders,” said Bom. “Very, very small. There is very little that Marc Marquez knows that Joan Mir doesn’t know about his own Ducati. There’s a huge gap from the riders to us, or there’s already a good gap.

“There’s obviously a bigger gap from us to our listeners. We just try to keep up by telling us something and be more clear with us, they wouldn’t hurt themselves at all. The riders, they really, really know what’s going on left and right, with him and with him. They all know what Pecco’s problem [is].

“They all know what Pecco already tried. They all know. But they actually professional, don’t make any fuss about it, of course, but they know what they need to ask for next year, and what else has to be in the contract and so on and so on.”

READ MORE: Ducati have finally revealed the ‘curse’ that’s ruined Francesco Bagnaia’s 2025 MotoGP season

Why Francesco Bagnaia still has a lot to fight for in 2025

With four races to go, there’s still a strong chance that Bagnaia could fall outside of the top three for the first time as a Ducati rider.

Fellow countryman Marco Bezzecchi has been in top form, but made a big error at the last race in Indonesia, which hurt Bagnaia’s teammate.

He had the pace to win, and has been in the fight for podiums at virtually every race. Expect him to mount some serious pressure in the final few rounds.

With a deficit of 20 points, he could find himself drawing ahead after the upcoming round at Phillip Island, particularly if no sudden solutions can be found for a lack of speed.