Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia thinks Ducati have “something” new in store for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez this weekend that can improve his “strange” tyre wear problems in 2026.
The 29-year-old had a tough start to the season during the opening three rounds of the year in Thailand, Brazil and America. Yet Bagnaia feels the full extent of his problems only rose to the surface during the Grands Prix, as he was happy with his pace in practice and qualifying.
Bagnaia arrives at Jerez after the one-month break owing to the postponement of the Qatar Grand Prix sat only ninth in the riders’ standings with 25 points in his account. The two-time champion is also only the fourth-best-placed Ducati star, and last among those on the GP26.
Mick Doohan is perplexed by Bagnaia’s plight so far this term, as the Italian has yet to finish a Grand Prix any higher than his P9 in Thailand. Bagnaia crashed in the Brazilian Grand Prix while running in P11, and he only managed to finish in P10 in the United States Grand Prix.
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Francesco Bagnaia thinks his data clearly shows the Ducati GP26 acts ‘unexpectedly’ on worn tyres
Tyre wear has largely been the root cause of Bagnaia’s plight during the early Grands Prix in 2026. Bagnaia admitted he was “struggling quite a lot” to stop his bike in Brazil as he lacked rear grip. Similarly, Bagnaia “just tried to get to the end” in Texas after he destroyed his tyre.
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The four-week break since the United States GP has afforded Ducati and Bagnaia a chance to study his data and implement potential fixes for this week’s Spanish GP. The Turin native thinks it is “clear” that Ducati have a problem, but they are starting to understand the issue.
Bagnaia said, via Motorsport.com: “What’s clear from the data is that the bike behaves unexpectedly. The loss of grip on the rear tyre is quite significant during Sunday’s race.
“It’s strange because during the weekend, from Friday onwards, you do many laps on used tyres and can maintain a very consistent pace. And then, in the race, after eight laps, I destroy the rear tyre.
“So, it’s something that we need to understand, and I think they’ve started thinking about something different for this weekend.”
Bagnaia also suggests that the Moto2 and Moto3 riders laying down Pirelli rubber could be one of the potential reasons for Ducati’s extreme tyre wear problems only emerging during the Grands Prix. This season marks the final term in which MotoGP is using Michelin tyres.
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Bagnaia added: “For me, the only problem is Sunday’s race, because everything works in a way, you can work, you can adapt, and everything seems to be going well.
“It’s clear that the bike’s DNA from the last two years isn’t ideal for me. But in 2026, I can try to adapt a bit better. But in Sunday’s race, there’s something different. Maybe the Pirelli tyres [used in Moto2 and Moto3], I don’t know, and I start having a lot of difficulties.”
The Pirelli rubber laid down by the Moto3 and Moto2 riders affects how the Michelin tyres then behave when MotoGP takes to the circuit, generally as the last Grand Prix of the week. But it is an issue that affects every MotoGP rider, and Bagnaia is struggling more than most.
Even those also riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP26 this term are performing better during the Grands Prix than Bagnaia has. Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 has taken the only Grand Prix podium by a Ducati rider in 2026 with his P3 in Brazil, where Marc Marquez bagged P4.
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