Two-time MotoGP champion hits career low: 'I see no way out'
Bagnaia doesn't expect to find a way out of his 2026 struggles (Credit: Apex Agency)
17:45, 31 Aug
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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 was in a brutally honest mood after another disastrous weekend in Aragon.
The two-time MotoGP world champion finished a pointless 11th in the sprint race and then crashed out of the Grand Prix, making it three out of four races in which he hasn’t scored a point.
Bagnaia is now a lowly eighth in the riders’ championship, 113 points off the lead, and 94 from Ducati teammate Marc Marquez.
Such form has seen Ducati move to replace Bagnaia with Pedro Acosta, who has signed to partner Marquez in 2027 and 2028.
A premier-class champion in 2022 and 2023 and runner-up in 2024, Bagnaia was similarly off the pace in fifth last year, but at least won two races.
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Bagnaia admits he's in a career low
Explaining what’s gone wrong this season, he told Sky Italia: “I think this is one of my lowest points on a sporting level.
“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."
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Bagnaia will be joining fellow Italian outfit Aprilia next year, signing on a mega deal until 2030, where he will partner with compatriot Marco Bezzecchi.
“I think this is one of my lowest points on a sporting level."- Pecco Bagnaia
That may at least give him something to look forward to, but Bagnaia is very much staying in the present.
Two-time champion: 'I see no way out'
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Speaking in the media scrum, he added: "I give everything I can in every situation, and when I return to the garage, I try to be as clear as possible to find a solution, which unfortunately doesn't come.
“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.
“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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“All of this is humiliating and mortifying; I think it's one of the lowest moments of my career."- Pecco Bagnaia
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Overview
Friday 04.09.26
Practice 1
10:30 AM
Practice 2
02:00 PM
Saturday 05.09.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
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01:00 PM
Friday 04.09.26
Practice 1
Fri 10:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 02:00 PM
Saturday 05.09.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 06.09.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
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