Mat Oxley expects ‘tough’ Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati talks after what he saw at Australian Grand Prix

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Francesco Bagnaia could only manage P19 in the first MotoGP Sprint Race without a Ducati on the podium, as Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi won at the Australian Grand Prix.

Phillip Island staged the 58th Sprint Race in MotoGP history this Saturday, in round 19 of the 2025 MotoGP season. But the best result that a Ducati rider could claim in the Australian GP Sprint came thanks to VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio in P5 aboard a Desmosedici GP25.

Gresini’s Alex Marquez aboard a Ducati GP24 also finished P6, as Aprilia ace Bezzecchi won the Phillip Island Sprint with a 5.416-second margin back to Di Giannantonio and 6.109s to the Spaniard. Aprilia, KTM and Yamaha bikes locked out the top four positions this Saturday.

Ducati also had to look back to VR46’s Franco Morbidelli in P15 on a GP24 for the third-best rider aboard a Desmosedici in the Phillip Island Sprint. Factory rider Bagnaia even finished a gut-wrenching 32.408s behind Bezzecchi down in P19, with Michele Pirro also P20 and last.

Mat Oxley expects ‘tough’ talks after Francesco Bagnaia’s P19 in the Australian Grand Prix Sprint

Pirro is replacing the injured Marc Marquez in Australia, and the Ducati test rider will likely also ride in place of the 2025 champion at next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. So, Ducati were set to rely on Bagnaia to lead their race, yet he cut a disconsolate figure in the garage.

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

Bagnaia could only look to the sky in sheer bewilderment at his plight upon returning to the Ducati garage after the Phillip Island Sprint. The two-time MotoGP champion even dropped his head as Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi arrived on the scene to offer his support.

Yet it was just the Italian’s latest sorry showing, which also now leaves him just eight points ahead of Bezzecchi in their fight for third place in the 2025 riders’ standings. So, Mat Oxley expects Bagnaia will have some “very tough” meetings with Ducati over the coming weeks.

“The only day in Bagnaia’s diary right now is 18 November,” Oxley said on X, referring to the post-season test in Valencia. “But [there] will be some very tough office meetings between now and then.”

Pecco Bagnaia looked beaten in the Ducati garage after the 2025 Phillip Island Sprint Race

Phillip Island is proving to be a very sorry hunting ground for Bagnaia this weekend, with the factory Ducati team also left to feel the impact of Marquez’s injury. While Yamaha star Fabio Quartararo secured pole position, Bagnaia qualified P11 for the Australian GP this Saturday.

READ MORE: Everything to know about the Australian Grand Prix, including past winners

Even a post-Sprint eight-second penalty for Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura would not help to improve Bagnaia’s mood. The 24-year-old Japanese rookie only dropped from P16 to P17 as a result of his tyre pressure infringement, as Aprilia stand-in Lorenzo Savadori benefitted.

Qualifying P11 for the Australian GP and finishing the Phillip Island Sprint in only P19 are far from what Ducati would want or expect Bagnaia to claim. So, while Tardozzi backed Bagnaia for a podium in the Australian GP when speaking on Friday, he may just hope to earn points.

Bagnaia simply looked beaten by a season of misery on his return to the Ducati garage after the Phillip Island Sprint Race on Saturday. Except for Bagnaia’s Motegi Sprint victory, he has also now failed to score points in six of the seven Sprint Races since July’s Czech Grand Prix.