Davide Tardozzi suggests Ducati are now out of ideas for Francesco Bagnaia’s 2025 struggles

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Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati are left with more questions than answers after suffering another miserable weekend in 2025.

The Italian crashed out of the Portuguese Grand Prix on lap 10, losing the bike while running in P4. He had been displaying good pace on his Desmosedici, qualifying P4 behind Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo.

Bagnaia had grown into the weekend, having been beaten by rookie teammate Nicolo Bulega in FP1. It looked as though he had found the right groove on the GP25, until he pushed too hard and crashed out of the race.

Portimao now marks the fourth consecutive race that Bagnaia has not finished, the first time that has happened since his rookie season. It has left Ducati baffled, given their efforts behind the scenes.

Davide Tardozzi says Ducati have done ‘everything’ to help Francesco Bagnaia

Kevin Schwantz was wrong about Bagnaia, as he believed he was ‘back’ after his win at the Americas GP. He has won just one race since then, coming at Motegi after Ducati brought GP24 parts to his bike.

Since the Japanese GP, the 28-year-old has failed to finish a Grand Prix, and the Borgo Panigale outfit have been trying to give him the same feeling from the bike as in Motegi. Ducati chief Davide Tardozzi says the team have done ‘everything’ to help Bagnaia, but nothing is improving.

Assessing Ducati’s weekend on Sky Italia, Tardozzi said: “Bulega’s 15th place may seem low-level, but it’s not. Nicolò managed the situation well. He made a mistake yesterday that affected his performance today because he didn’t want to make a mistake and was very cautious.

“Bagnaia’s speed was never in doubt; there’s this lack of trust with the bike that’s making things difficult for him. We’ve done everything we could to get him back to the same conditions as last year or the race against Japan.

“We believe we’ve done everything we can; if anything’s still missing, we’ll have to talk to each other and clarify why and how to reach a conclusion.”

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

Nicolo Bulega issues Francesco Bagnaia criticism after Portuguese Grand Prix crash

Bagnaia’s recent form has been bizarre to say the least. Ducati are at a loss to explain his struggles, having made a breakthrough on the GP25 at Motegi.

The Italian crashed out from the back of the grid at Mandalika and Phillip Island, before a rear tyre puncture forced him to retire at Sepang. His accident at Portimao has left everyone scratching their heads.

Teammate Bulega says Bagnaia cannot be ‘so inconsistent’, but he believes that he wil return to form if he gets into the right shape. But it is clear that he does not have any comfort or feeling from the GP25.

Michael Laverty says Bagnaia needs a new bike to get back to his best. He will be desperate for the GP26 to be more suited to his riding style.