Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati believes his “very fast” race pace on day two of the 2026 Sepang test “confirmed” he has improved one of his worst weaknesses from last year.
The 29-year-old has arrived in Malaysia with a point to prove after enduring a nightmare last season, as he struggled to adapt to the Ducati GP25. Bagnaia fell from fighting for the title in four successive seasons, and winning it twice, to ranking fifth in the standings on 288 points.
Bagnaia even finished 2025 with just one Grand Prix finish over the final seven races, which came when he did the double at Motegi. The Japanese Grand Prix was also only the second win that the Italian got in 2025, despite Marc Marquez’s 11 wins after joining him at Ducati.
Over the winter, Bagnaia accepted he could have done more to adapt to the Ducati GP25, so his sole aim at the 2026 Sepang test has been to understand the GP26. And after a positive first day on Tuesday, Bagnaia recorded the eighth-fastest lap on day two at the Sepang test.
Predict the order of the Ducati riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
Francesco Bagnaia has ‘confirmed’ his improved braking on Ducati’s 2026 MotoGP bike
Bagnaia instantly felt a difference under braking on the Ducati GP26, compared to the GP25 he had so many problems on, during the first day at the Sepang test. He also feels the latest Desmosedici allows him to attack the corner entry phase superior to how he could last year.
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The Turin native now believes he has “confirmed” his improved feelings under braking, after another positive run this Wednesday. Bagnaia focused his track time on working on his race pace, and he was only 0.428 seconds off the overall best lap time that Honda’s Joan Mir set.
Bagnaia told Motorsport.com: “Yesterday, from the first start, I verified that the bike worked much better for me in braking. Today, we have confirmed it. The time I set in race set-up was very fast.”
Braking on Ducati’s 2025 MotoGP bike was one of Pecco Bagnaia’s biggest problems
Rain in the afternoon on day two at the Sepang test meant the fastest lap times were all set in the morning, when Marquez tested Ducati’s 2024-spec front aero on his GP26. The Borgo Panigale crew have brought an aggressive new front aero package to the 2026 Sepang test.
Has Francesco Bagnaia found the key to fighting for the 2026 MotoGP title?
Bagnaia intends to continue testing Ducati’s newest front aero package on his GP26 on the third and final day of the Sepang test. The significantly larger wings may be one factor that has contributed to Bagnaia’s improved feeling under braking on Ducati’s 2026 bike thus far.
It will be vital for Bagnaia to continue developing his improved feeling with the front-end of the Ducati GP26 ahead of the 2026 season starting with the Thai Grand Prix on March 1. He had few problems worse than under braking in 2025, which also affected how he cornered.
Bagnaia’s issues under braking during 2025 were exaggerated in traffic, as he struggled with optimising his corner approach due to the slipstream he got from the riders in front. And as the Italian could not attack the braking phase how he wanted, he fell further into the pack.
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