Neil Hodgson does not fully believe what he has heard Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna say about the woe that Francesco Bagnaia has endured in the 2025 season.
The end of the 2025 season cannot come quickly enough for Bagnaia, who has had to watch Marc Marquez win the riders’ title since joining him in the Ducati team. The Italian also only boasts 274 points and two Grand Prix wins so far, to the champion’s 545 points and 11 wins.
Bagnaia will look to reduce his deficit to his teammate with Marquez absent in Australia and Malaysia through injury. But the 28-year-old’s star has firmly lost its shine after only earning one Grand Prix podium across the last seven rounds, when he won the Japanese Grand Prix.
Ducati celebrated as Bagnaia won the Motegi Sprint and the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position in September. Yet their joy would be short-lived, as Bagnaia finished the Mandalika Sprint in P14 and last before crashing out of the Indonesian Grand Prix while running in last.
Neil Hodgson accuses Luigi Dall’Igna of controlling the narrative around Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles
Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna tried to help explain Bagnaia’s struggles in the 2025 MotoGP season by providing an insight at the Indonesian GP. Ducati admit Bagnaia struggles with their 2025 ride height device, as it changes the GP25’s balance amid the braking phase.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
But while Dall’Igna chose to speak with a selection of journalists at Mandalika about what is behind Bagnaia’s plight, Hodgson does not feel the Ducati chief told the full truth. The 2003 World Superbike champion thinks Dall’Igna controlled the narrative to suit what “he wants”.
Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (17/10, 04:53): “I think a lot of it is Gigi Dall’Igna wanting to control the narrative, because if you say nothing journalists have a job to do [to fill the gap]. So, I think, and rightly so, Gigi thought, ‘Let’s get a bit of a handle on this’.
“So, Gigi’s basically explained the fundamental changes between the ‘24 and the ’25 bike, mainly being the ride height device. But we sort of knew this anyway.
“My scepticism in it is ‘Guess what, Gigi Dall’Igna’s going to speak to you to tell you the information that he wants to tell you’. What percentage of that is truthful? Who knows. So, I read all of it with a pinch of salt.”
Hodgson also emphasised his point again, noting (05:12): “That’s what I loved about Gigi calling some of the journalists in to have a chat with them in Indonesia, and all of the journalists were really pleased. I’m not disrespecting the journalists for that.
“Of course they were pleased, ‘Gigi is going to tell us what’s really going on’. Of course… He’s telling you what’s really going on? Oh, yeah, of course he’s telling you what’s really going on. He’s only telling you what he wants you to know and write.”
Ducati have often tried to shift the focus away from their bike amid Pecco Bagnaia’s plight
Hodgson is not alone in questioning what he has heard people at Ducati say about Bagnaia’s persistent struggles this year. Andrea Dovizioso thinks there is something “strange” between Bagnaia and Ducati, given the team have often tried to play down the GP25’s role in his woe.
Dall’Igna privately highlighting Ducati’s ride height device on the GP25 as one of the central reasons for Bagnaia’s plight suggests the Borgo Panigale brand have known all year that the bike has been at least part of the issue, too. It is unlikely that it is the entire reason, as well.
But team manager Davide Tardozzi tried to stop people talking about the spec of Bagnaia’s bike after he did the double at Motegi on what was widely believed to be a different bike. It is said that Bagnaia raced a Ducati GP24 in Japan instead of the GP25, as he won both races.
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