Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati had one of their worst performances in a MotoGP race weekend since 2021 during the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix. However, former team boss Francesco Guidotti thinks Pecco Bagnaia helped the Italian constructor to achieve a ‘major goal’ they were hoping for this year.
The most damning statistic from Ducati’s season opener for the 2026 campaign is the fact that the Borgo Panigale-based constructor lost their consecutive podium streak of 88 races.
The record dated back to 2021, and all six riders in Ducati’s stable were simply unable to finish in the top three in Buriram due to Aprilia’s sheer dominance at the circuit.
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Marc Marquez was the leading rider for the Bologna Bullets prior to his unfortunate tyre blowout, with Fabio Di Giannantonio inheriting the title as Ducati’s best finisher after securing sixth place in the Grand Prix.
Francesco Bagnaia finished P9 in both races in Thailand, and despite it being a far cry from where Ducati expect their factory riders to finish, Francesco Guidotti thinks he has helped the team get closer to a major goal they had identified ahead of the 2026 term.
Francesco Guidotti pinpoints Francesco Bagnaia as the ‘only question mark’ at Ducati
During an interview with Speedweek during the three-week break in between the season-opener and round two in Brazil, the former MotoGP team boss offered his thoughts on Ducati’s underwhelming start to 2026.
He began by highlighting the fact that the results that the Borgo Panigale-backed riders achieved in Thailand were far from disastrous, saying, “Of course, the Thailand GP looks like a huge disaster for Ducati – but only compared to the past. The times are incomparable.
“Realistically speaking, an outcome like the Thailand GP is rather normal and, in my view, not a drama for Ducati.”
He then got onto the topic of the two-time world champion, picking him out as the “only question mark” within the Ducati ranks.
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He continued, “To be honest, Pecco is the only question mark for me in the Ducati camp. He showed in winter testing that he can match the pace of the other Ducati riders, but in the races, he hasn’t been able to demonstrate that, for no apparent reason.
“Overall, though, he’s done a good job. You can’t say much after just one Grand Prix, but a major goal was to get all the Ducati riders up to speed together, and they’ve got closer to that goal.
“It’s possible, however, that they lost time elsewhere during the winter. I don’t see a huge problem for Ducati, though.”
The Thailand Grand Prix was Francesco Bagnaia’s worst start to a season since 2022
Bagnaia’s double ninth-place finishes in Thailand marked the Italian rider’s worst result at a MotoGP season-opener since his maiden title-winning campaign from 2022.
The factory Ducati man collided with Jorge Martin on lap 11 of that year’s Grand Prix, and actually struggled to provide some strong results before finding his form in the second half of the season.
Former MotoGP team boss Livio Suppo thinks Bagnaia still needs to prove that his title-winning campaigns were down to his talents rather than the dominant bikes that Ducati have been producing in recent years.
Bagnaia’s performances will likely continue to remain under the spotlight in MotoGP this year, even more so ahead of his projected switch the Aprilia machinery for 2027.
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