Ducati MotoGP struggles take new twist after Bagnaia's ‘They won't let me’ admission
Bagnaia's season continues to get worse (Photo: Apex Agency)
17:45, 15 Sep
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Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
Francesco Bagnaia has inadvertently shed some light on his Ducati struggles during an off-camera discussion.
The two-time MotoGP champion crashed out of yet another race, his third in four Grands Prix, capping off a pointless home weekend at Misano.
It’s been a season to forget for Bagnaia, who sits a lowly ninth in the riders’ championship and will be leaving Ducati at the end of the year for Aprilia.
The 29-year-old has called his current struggles one of the lowest points of his career, and admitted he just can’t get to grips with the current Desmosedici GP26 bike.
Post-race, Bagnaia was speaking to DAZN Espana when he was approached in the media area by compatriot and fellow Ducati-powered VR46 Racing rider Fabio Di Giannantonio.
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Bagnaia makes revealing ‘They won't let me’ admission
‘Diggia’ first asked: “How is it possible?” to which Bagnaia replied: “Basically braking with the clutch pulled.”
Di Giannantonio then asked: "Why are you using the little thing in the back?” and was told: “You know that's the least of the problems? I use what they tell me to use…”
The VR46 rider then said: ‘It worked well,’ to which Bagnaia responded: “I tried it, I tried everything... I'll just tell you that for me the soft and medium make no difference up front; it's completely the same.
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“And the soft used in the morning and the soft in qualifying are the same. The same grip. It's as if you pull the clutch as soon as you touch the brakes.”
Di Giannantonio then suggested ‘Pecco’ goes back to basics, saying: “I understand, but in my opinion, if you put a configuration in quotation marks that is 'normal', quite basic, like mine, in my opinion…”
Then perhaps the most revealing moment came as Bagnaia interrupted to say: “They won't let me do it,” to which Di Giannantonio finished: "I raise my hands.”
While it’s unclear what the specifics were of the pair of Italians' conversation, what’s certain is that Di Giannantonio is as baffled as the rest of us by Bagnaia’s struggles.
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Bagnaia enduring nightmare final Ducati MotoGP season
Bagnaia is the most successful rider in Ducati’s history but is eight places behind teammate and championship leader Marc Marquez.
Next year, Bagnaia not only leaves Ducati, but a new set of regulations enters MotoGP, and he may have the perfect opportunity to reset.
Speaking after another disastrous weekend in Aragon, he appeared hopeful that his problems could subside away from the Desmosedici.
“I think this is one of my lowest points on a sporting level,” he brutally admitted.
Marquez is flying on the same bike as Bagnaia (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
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“I come here to the races and do my best, but that only allows me to finish 12th or 10th. But I can clearly see from the data and my feeling that I'm not riding the bike and I'm being carried around, because when I try to do something more, I still crash, and even going slowly, I still crash.
“Fortunately, the data is there, but I also have my awareness, and that's something that makes me happy because all the difficulties, all the things I can't do, even looking at the data of the other Ducati riders, I could easily do a few years ago. So that's definitely something I know I haven't lost, but right now I just can't perform as I expect."
MotoGP regulation change offers Bagnaia chance to reset
He continued: “The fact is that you push, but end up on the ground when you're a second slower. All of this is humiliating and mortifying; I think it's one of the lowest moments of my career, given that I see no way out and the situation has even worsened in the last two races.
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“I gave everything I could to Ducati, and it's difficult to accept that the situation can be like this, despite the commitment and all the data I see every day.
“With today's bike, I can't ride naturally, and then I crash. With the Panigale [superbike], I fly, and I'm very strong; all of this comforts me because I know I can still ride a bike and be strong. At the Misano test and in Japan in 2025, I removed any kind of doubt; I saw that if I feel good, I'm in the running for the podium. Up until the Sachsenring, my confidence wasn't so bad: it's true that I was struggling, but I was optimistic.
“Now, since Silverstone, I've had no grip, and I don't know what will happen on other tracks where the grip is lower."
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