Luigi Dall’Igna tells Francesco Bagnaia his 2025 experience would have been ‘worse’ at another team

Add as preferred source on Google

Francesco Bagnaia’s miserable 2025 season with Ducati has prompted speculation about his future throughout the year.

Winning 11 races on the GP24 last season, the two-time MotoGP champion was expected to be a title contender with teammate Marc Marquez in 2025. However, Bagnaia has offered no competition on the new Desmosedici.

The Italian has won just two Grands Prix this year as he struggles to find any feeling from the GP25. He has constantly called for changes to the bike, but VR46 boss Pablo Nieto says there are few differences between the ’24 and ’25 spec.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old has not got on with the GP25, despite Ducati’s best efforts to find the right balance for his riding style. He has retired from five of the last six races, winning the one he finished at Motegi after the team introduced GP24 parts to his bike.

But with the same setup, he has not found the same performance level as in Japan in the following events, running at the back in Indonesia and Phillip Island. These baffling results have sparked rumours of friction between Bagnaia and Ducati.

Luigi Dall’Igna says Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles in 2025 would have been handled ‘worse’ at other teams

There was a feeling that Bagnaia has a tense relationship with Ducati’s top management over his inconsistent results and his demands for changes to the bike. With his contract expiring in 2026, many have speculated that an exit is nearing.

Luigi Dall’Igna said Ducati had lost patience with Bagnaia over his performances. However, he has reiterated that the team have always supported him and tried to find solutions.

Speaking to Moto.It, he even warned that his experience in 2025 could have been ‘worse’ with another team. He said: “I would put it in the record books because, in my opinion, if the same thing had happened in other teams, I believe that the consequences would certainly have been much worse handled.”

Bagnaia was linked with Yamaha earlier in 2025, but those rumours were shut down by Ducati. Given they sit bottom of the standings this season amid issues with the M1’s performance, it would be easy to argue that the Italian’s season would have been worse at the Iwata outfit.

Dall’Igna also denied rumours that Bagnaia could join VR46 and swap places with Fabio Di Giannantonio. Ducati are committed to helping the 28-year-old recover his form heading into 2026.

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

Luigi Dall’Igna says trust has ‘never been lacking’ with Francesco Bagnaia

Rumours have circulated that Dall’Igna and Bagnaia have a tense relationship amid the latter’s poor form in 2025. However, the former has stressed that the pair still trust one another and are determined to improve the situation.

“Me and him, but not just me and him, the whole team, in my opinion, I repeat, no, I’m not saying obvious things,” he added.

“But it’s definitely true that throughout the year we have worked well together to try to find solutions that we didn’t find, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we have always trusted each other and I believe that this is the fundamental thing, it has never been lacking.

“It is clear that in such a long journey, in such a human journey, there are bound to be ups and downs. But I repeat, in my opinion, mutual trust has never failed us, and I believe this is the basis for finding solutions.”