Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia is in a tense situation with Ducati as his 2025 MotoGP season goes from bad to worse.
The Italian has struggled all year with the GP25, finding no feeling from the bike even after Ducati tried to improve the situation. Bagnaia gave Ducati an ultimatum to give him parts of the GP24, which he won 11 races with last season.
Bagnaia tested GP24 parts at Misano, before using them on his bike at Motegi. Sure enough, it looked like the 28-year-old had made a breakthrough as he collected a double victory, his first of 2025.
However, just a week later at Mandalika, he was last on track before crashing out in the race. At the Australian Grand Prix, he again ran towards the back before crashing from 12th place.
Bagnaia had a ‘complicated’ issue with braking and corner entry at Phillip Island as he could not turn the bike properly. His dramatic collapse in results has created a tense environment in his Ducati garage.
Francesco Bagnaia has created ‘increased distances’ with Ducati’s top management in 2025
The situation between Bagnaia and Ducati is, as a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport puts it, ‘indecipherable’. Neither party can understand what the problem is in 2025, but the rider is completely despondent with his team.
Bagnaia has been demanding answers from Ducati over his poor results. However, he has now been ‘substantially distanced’ from the manufacturer following his double non-points finishes in the last two races.
It appears that the 28-year-old was riding the same bike he used at Motegi, which makes the situation all the more confusing. Bagnaia has been given the GP24 parts he called for, and is still unable to extract performance.
Ducati were forced into changing his bike due to his ‘reactive’ path with technical development, but this prevented him from providing ‘solid and unambiguous feedback’ to his team. Subsequently, Bagnaia has caused ‘increased distances’ with the Borgo Panigale outfit’s ‘top management’.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Francesco Bagnaia’s relationship with Luigi Dall’Igna is ‘compromised’ amid 2025 woes
The report goes on to state that Bagnaia’s relationship with Luigi Dall’Igna is ‘increasingly difficult and compromised’. His conflicting statements of demanding answers and changes, and then apologising to the team have caused problems.
Bagnaia’s comments about Ducati could make him ‘untenable’ at the manufacturer, as he claimed that he has nothing more to give after his win at Motegi. But following two ‘double zeros’, the problem may lie deeper than the bike.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished second on the GP25 at Phillip Island while Bagnaia was languishing in 18th in the early stages. With just three races to go, Ducati will just hope that the GP26 can give the Italian a better feeling, but their situation may be irreparable.
Ducati have given Bagnaia a deadline to convince them that he deserves a contract beyond 2026. A split between the two parties seems more likely than ever after a torrid 2025 season.
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