Francesco Bagnaia told how he can get his MotoGP ‘mojo’ back after disastrous Ducati campaign

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The grid for the 2026 MotoGP season is officially set, with all but three riders to be out of contract at the conclusion of the campaign.

One rider who might not be looking forward to the next campaign is Francesco Bagnaia, who is currently enduring one of the toughest spells of his career. He cannot get to grips with Ducati’s GP25 bike, which teammate Marc Marquez has been able to dominate with.

Over the last four MotoGP races, he has failed to score at three of the events, with the curious case of the Japan sweep in the middle of it. Everyone thought he might have been back to his very best form, but he soon came crashing back down to earth. There is no clear answer for his lack of speed.

Luigi Dall’Igna won’t accept Bagnaia’s performance and cannot have too much patience left with his two-time champion rider. Bagnaia’s troubles run deeper than Ducati, and he’s going to have a long winter trying to find answers.

READ MORE: Neil Hodgson stunned by Marco Bezzecchi’s gesture towards Francesco Bagnaia at Australian Grand Prix

Francesco Bagnaia told to leave Ducati to get his MotoGP ‘mojo’ back after Ducati disaster

Mat Oxley expects ‘tough’ Bagnaia talks, but he’s under contract through the end of 2026. Fortunately for him, his ride is secure for the time being. He is entering an important season, though, and must prove himself once more to earn another deal.

Nobody has forgotten what he’s capable of after achieving 11 race victories in 2024, but his decline is alarming. It has led some to claim that his bike cannot be the only explanation for his downfall.

Mat Oxley believes that the best way out of the situation is for Bagnaia to leave Ducati altogether and join a satellite team. A fresh start with some new scenery could be beneficial.

“I think Bagnaia might also go, ‘You know what, I need to get out of here. I need to just have a change of scenery, change of crew chief, change of team.’ Go into a team where [there’s] a little bit less, no longer in a factory team, you might be on a factory bike,” he said on the Oxley Bom Podcast.

“You’re going to a bit more of a homely team, and it’s a VR46, it’s Rossi’s team. Go and go into there, and see if you can get your mojo back.”

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What Francesco Bagnaia must do with the rest of 2025 to prove he deserves a new Ducati contract

At the Australian Grand Prix, Bagnaia looked resigned to his fate. There wasn’t much fight, although he did opt to crash out of the race instead of finishing last.

He needs to prove to his team that he can turn things around when he’s in a dark place. It doesn’t mean that he has to win at the next event in Malaysia, but a top-five finish should be possible.

Pre-season testing at Sepang suggested that Bagnaia had some solid pace, and in the absence of Ducati teammate Marquez, he has another big opportunity to pick up the slack.

Finishing last once more would be a damning indictment, and wouldn’t be doing his confidence any favours heading into the winter break.