Marco Bezzecchi
Livio Suppo hopes Francesco Bagnaia can find his feet “quickly” in 2026, as the Italian “needs to prove” he won his MotoGP titles on merit and not just due to Ducati’s bike.
Two-time premier class champion Bagnaia endured a disappointing start to the 2026 season in Thailand at the start of March. He arrived in Buriram full of confidence after a strong pre-season test in Sepang, just to then record a Q1 exit in the first qualifying session of the year.
Bagnaia did not carve his way through the order in the Buriram Sprint or the Thailand Grand Prix either, despite Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura impressing Suppo with how he made progress from P8 on the grid. Bagnaia could only improve his P13 on the grid to P9 during both races.
Ogura utilised his satellite Aprilia RS-GP suiting the harder tyre casing that Michelin supplied in Buriram to get P4 in the Sprint and P5 in the Thailand GP. The Japanese rider was even on Jorge Martin’s tail for P4 in the Grand Prix, which Bagnaia finished behind Franco Morbidelli.
Francesco Bagnaia bows out in Q1 at the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix!
Is Pecco Bagnaia facing another season of woe at Ducati?
Livio Suppo thinks Ai Ogura showed Francesco Bagnaia should have achieved more in Thailand
Suppo wonders whether Bagnaia struggled at the Thailand GP due to the rumours regarding his future. It is said that Ducati are set to sign Pedro Acosta to partner with Marc Marquez in 2027. But it is also said that Bagnaia has agreed to join Aprilia from 2027 instead of Yamaha.
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Regardless of why Bagnaia struggled in Thailand, Suppo hopes the Turin native can find the promising pace he showed at the Sepang test soon. The 2026 MotoGP season is a big term for Bagnaia, as he must show he won his two titles on merit after such a bleak year in 2025.
“He seemed very happy in the winter tests, regaining confidence in the front end, and then in the race he faded again,” Suppo told Motosprint.
“Ducati were the worst at the finish line, [and] he was never a protagonist, influenced by a poor qualifying. But, for example, Ogura made an incredible comeback. Even if you start behind, if you have the pace, you can catch up.
“I don’t know how much these rumours that he’s already out at Ducati will influence him. Of course, Pecco needs, after the 2025 season, to prove that he really did win those two world championships.
“It’s true that Ducati had a strong technical advantage at that point, but he was still stronger than all the other Ducatis. He’s definitely a very fast rider, I hope he finds his feet quickly.”
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Bagnaia seemed to find peace of mind about his looming departure from Ducati by agreeing a deal to join Aprilia next year, with claims that he has agreed anything from a two, three or four-year deal. But he had far from the start to 2026 that he would have wanted in Thailand.
The 2026 season is a prove yourself year for Bagnaia, despite having two titles and fighting for the championship every year from 2021 to 2024. He fell to fifth in the standings last year after failing to adapt to Ducati’s 2025 bike, which is thought to have led them to sign Acosta.
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