Michele Pirro shares the ‘goal’ he’s been given to help Francesco Bagnaia at Ducati

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Francesco Bagnaia will have a different teammate on the other side of the Ducati garage at Phillip Island as test rider Michele Pirro stands in for the injured Marc Marquez.

The Italian will make his 70th MotoGP race start at the Australian Grand Prix as he replaces the 2025 champion. Marquez will miss the next two races with fractured ligaments in his collarbone after a crash with Marco Bezzecchi at Mandalika.

Pirro is confirmed to replace the Spaniard at Phillip Island, but whether he will return at Sepang is currently unknown. In any case, Marquez’s absence presents an opportunity for Bagnaia to score a strong result, but his woes at Ducati will put that in serious doubt.

Bagnaia’s head is ‘falling off’ at the Borgo Panigale outfit as he cannot understand his extreme results in recent races. After testing GP24 parts at Misano, he dominated at Motegi with pole position and a double victory, only to crash from last place at Mandalika on the same bike.

Bagnaia blasted Ducati over his struggles in Indonesia as he could not understand how he was so far off the pace when he was winning races just a week before. Rumours and theories about a private dispute between Bagnaia and Ducati are starting to swirl in the paddock.

Michele Pirro’s ‘goal’ is to help Francesco Bagnaia at Ducati until the end of the season

The Italian is desperately hoping to find the feeling he had at Motegi at Phillip Island this weekend. Having Pirro next to him may not only benefit him in terms of competitiveness on track, but also with technical feedback.

Speaking via Moto.it at Phillip Island, the Ducati test rider outlined that his ‘goal’ is to help Bagnaia fix his ‘strange situation’ in the final four races of the season. Pirro and the team will continue to ‘monitor the situation’.

Asked if he would be trying new parts this weekend, he replied: “No, we’ll monitor the bike’s performance, my feelings, and do our best.

“If possible, we’ll also help Pecco, because it’s very important for Pecco to return to his best form in every race. That’s the goal from now until the end of the season.”

“It’s a strange situation,” he added. “The situation isn’t clear, but we’ll try with the engineers and the Ducati veterans to find the point where Pecco loses his feel on some tracks.

“We’ll monitor the situation in this race too, and I hope that from tomorrow onwards the situation will be like at Motegi and not like in Indonesia.”

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

Ducati have set Francesco Bagnaia a 2026 deadline as tensions rise

Tensions are rising in Bagnaia’s garage as his pace deficit to teammate Marquez has been alarming for much of 2025. Both parties are running out of solutions, which has raised question marks about the future.

Ducati will give Bagnaia three or four races in 2026 to convince them that they can ‘trust him’ and offer him a new contract. The 28-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Borgo Panigale outfit all season.

Bagnaia says Ducati are ‘family’, reiterating his commitment to the team and his intentions to stay. But unless his results improve, he could be faced with having to find a new manufacturer.

The 2026 season will be vital for the two-time MotoGP champion as he must close the gap to Marquez and the other Ducati riders. However, Davide Brivio thinks Bagnaia will not fight for the title in 2026 unless he is at one with the Borgo Panigale outfit.