Nicolo Bulega shares what Francesco Bagnaia shouldn’t be doing at Ducati as 2025 woes continue

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Francesco Bagnaia suffered another damning Grand Prix in 2025 at Portimao as he was outscored by Ducati stand-in rider Nicolo Bulega.

The 2025 World Superbike runner-up will replace Marc Marquez until the end of the MotoGP season. Making his debut at the Portuguese Grand Prix, expectations were low for the Italian, but he was immediately on the pace.

Bulega beat Bagnaia during his first session in the premier class, but the latter eventually got into his stride. He went second-fastest in free practice and qualified fourth, with his teammate down in 18th.

In the Sprint, Bagnaia suffered traction issues and limped home in eighth, while Bulega fell on lap four and retired from the race. On Sunday, the former was running in fourth when he crashed out at turn 10 on lap 11, suffering his fourth consecutive Grand Prix DNF.

Bagnaia’s retirement allowed Bulega to cross the line in 15th, scoring a point on his MotoGP debut. It was an impressive weekend for the rookie, but another bizarre and troubling race for his more experienced teammate.

Nicolo Bulega says Francesco Bagnaia cannot be ‘so inconsistent’ at Ducati

Bagnaia is facing a baffling situation at Ducati, as he cannot find any feeling from the GP25. Since winning at Motegi after the team introduced GP24 parts to his bike, he has not finished a Grand Prix.

Bulega finds it difficult to assess the Italian’s struggles, but he does feel that Bagnaia cannot be ‘so inconsistent’. Speaking to GPOne, the 26-year-old says it will be ‘hard to beat him’ if he finds the right groove on the bike.

“I don’t think he even knows what’s going on. Personally, I don’t think a rider can be so inconsistent. This season he’s had bad races and good ones, with the former more often than not.

“In my opinion, he’s very strong, and if he’s in good shape and feels in tune with the bike, it’s hard to beat him. He just needs to try to understand why he can’t always find the same feeling.

“From the outside, it’s difficult for me to express my opinion, but I’m convinced that as soon as he regains full confidence, few will be able to beat him.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Nicolo Bulega from height to career

Francesco Bagnaia is at risk of dropping to fifth in the 2025 MotoGP standings after Portimao crash

Bagnaia is now in a troubling position heading into the final race of the season at Valencia. Marco Bezzecchi’s dominant win at Portimao puts him 30 points ahead of the Ducati rider in third in the standings.

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali says Bagnaia finishing third would be ‘great’ – the Borgo Panigale outfit wants to lock out the top three in the standings. However, he is at risk of falling to fifth, with Pedro Acosta sitting 10 points behind him.

With one round to go and 37 points up for grabs, it will take a disastrous weekend from Bezzecchi for Bagnaia to finish P3. Furthermore, he has Acosta to worry about, who is reinvigorated on the KTM RC16, with 11 podiums to his name in 2025, including Sprints.

For Bagnaia, he will be desperate to finish 2025 and move on to the GP26 next year. He hopes that the machine will be better suited to his riding style in what will be a critical season for his Ducati future.