Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi was actively involved in Francesco Bagnaia’s efforts to resolve his 2025 slump. Rossi acts as a mentor figure for Bagnaia, a graduate of the VR46 academy.
In his first four seasons as a factory Ducati rider, Bagnaia won two world championships and picked up two silver medals. He averaged just over seven wins and 12 podiums per year.
But last term, Bagnaia only notched two victories and eight podiums – his worst numbers since his days at Pramac. As his consistency completely deserted him, he fell to fifth in the standings.
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Valentino Rossi wanted to ‘understand what he could do’ to help Francesco Bagnaia
Bagnaia says there was too much ‘noise’ in the Ducati garage as team management searched for an explanation. Neither party could give the media a clear reason for his sudden drop-off.
As Bagnaia revealed on ‘The BSMT‘ podcast, Rossi ‘wanted to come to lunch’ with Cristian Gabarrini, his Ducati crew chief, to work out what was happening.
Bagnaia praised the seven-time MotoGP champion for his guidance. Rossi urged him to change his mindset and celebrate any podium finish when he was previously obsessed with winning.
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“Vale is always extremely present in everything we do,” he explained. “We had several lunches and dinners together. He personally wanted to come to lunch with Cristian to understand what he could do.
“Vale has already experienced many of our situations, so he knows perfectly well how to move forward. He gave me several pieces of advice.
Asked if there was one particular piece of advice he remembers, he said: “To enjoy the results more in the meantime. I don’t remember in which race I came third, but third at that time was a good result, considering the results at the end of the year.
“In the end, every success must always be celebrated. Every result must always be understood and celebrated if it needs to be celebrated, because third place at that moment was an excellent result considering the difficulties.”
Why Pecco Bagnaia was never interested in racing for Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP team
Bagnaia’s 2025 collapse, if that’s not too strong a word, has cost him his place at Ducati. Luigi Dall’Igna has moved for rising KTM star Pedro Acosta ahead of 2027.
Bagnaia has negotiated a move to Aprilia before that deal is announced, which may present the illusion of choice.
There was a school of thought that Bagnaia could stay in the Ducati stable and race for Valentino Rossi’s satellite team. Rossi wants to continue with Desmosedici motorcycles next year.
But Bagnaia was only willing to race for a factory team, with Aprilia and Yamaha the only real contenders for his signature. He might be making a sideways move, but joining VR46 would unquestionably have been a step backwards for his career.
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