Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia is under a lot of pressure to improve in 2026, or risk losing his Ducati ride heading into the new regulations.
The two-time MotoGP champion endured the most difficult period of his career so far this year, as he was firmly beaten in his first season alongside Marc Marquez.
Pre-season, all the talk was of the difficult Ducati faced in managing two of the most talented on the grid. Instead, they faced almost no fuss at all.
With a plethora of options on the table, Bagnaia needs to perform over the next 12 months, or he could find himself looking for a new opening. The factory Yamaha team might not be a bad idea.
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Although a fresh start might be beneficial for everyone involved, Bagnaia’s new Ducati contract could be a ‘done deal’ in the pre-season if he ends up being quick at testing.
Fate lies within his own hands, but Bagnaia may have to accept a pay cut to ensure he keeps his place at the team he has always envisioned retiring with.
READ MORE: Nicolo Bulega hints that Francesco Bagnaia is ‘a little’ too nice for MotoGP
Mat Oxley says Francesco Bagnaia must ‘unleash’ his special ‘inner maniac’ in 2026
Claudio Domenicali wants Bagnaia and Marquez both at ‘the top’ next season, which seems realistic, only if the GP26 is better than its predecessor.
Bagnaia’s exit from Ducati may be ‘sealed and decreed’, with the news that team boss Davide Tardozzi could also be on his way out soon.
But if he listens to Mat Oxley’s latest advice, he stands a good chance of surviving longer. The Briton has told him to let his ‘inner maniac’ loose more often.
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“I think, at Sepang in 2024, that was, he basically knew that he wasn’t going to win the championship, pretty much,” he told the Oxley Bom Podcast. “He just thought, ‘I’m going to go for it.’
“If you take that kind of pressure, that kind of responsibility off your shoulders, that then unleashes the inner maniac. He needs to unleash the inner maniac more often. Definitely a bit of a flickering, faulty lightbulb, Pecco Bagnaia in 2025.”
Three potential Bagnaia replacements ‘keep coming up’, and they’re only going to do so at an even faster rate over the coming months. It’s up to the Italian rider to keep them quiet.
READ MORE: Fermin Aldeguer has now changed his tune on replacing Francesco Bagnaia at Ducati
Where did everything go wrong for Francesco Bagnaia in 2025?
Bagnaia spent months chasing his own tail in 2025, and inevitably, his confidence ended up taking a bit of a hit.
Jorge Martin expects Bagnaia to return to the ‘top’, but he can’t expect to keep things the same. Drastic changes are coming.
Luigi Dall’Igna thinks Bagnaia ‘failed’ because he didn’t score enough points this season, but he did have a few events where he couldn’t even contend in the top 15.
That’s way wide of the mark expected from one of their riders, and will be a big problem for him if repeated in 2026. He has to find a sweet spot more often, as that’s where he went wrong this year.
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