Alarm in the Ducati garage: Bagnaia slams the Desmosedici GP26

After winning the last four riders’ titles in MotoGP, Ducati has begun the 2026 season on a slight uphill. None of its riders finished on the podium in the race in Thailand, with Pecco Bagnaia 9th both in the Sprint and the Sunday showdown. The connection between the Piedmontese rider and the Red bike now seems like a mirage.

Aprilia made a significant step forward during the winter break. Massimo Rivola and his team have put together a highly competitive package for the RS-GP, with noteworthy aerodynamic innovations. If a change in the pecking order was unimaginable just a few weeks ago, it’s now possible. Ducati risks losing at least one “piece” of the Triple Crown if the situation doesn’t change soon. Marc Marquez remains the exception that proves the rule, but the Desmosedici doesn’t have the same impact in the hands of his brand-mates.

Starting with Pecco Bagnaia, coming off a disappointing 2025 MotoGP season. And this year hasn’t begun in the best way either, with #63 even missing out on access to Q2. "I’m not worried about my result. It’s not the position I wanted to finish in, but it’s a starting point. I never felt good during the weekend, because from FP2 onward I began to have a lot of difficulties. In testing I felt very good, I was able to push and manage the tires. However, for some reason, I started to struggle a lot during the Grand Prix. But now we need to improve, because at the moment we’re no longer the fastest."

During the MotoGP preseason it seemed that Pecco Bagnaia had rediscovered harmony with the Red. The Ducati GP26 gave the impression of inspiring more confidence, with a few updates compared to the previous version. Instead, no: the rider from Chivasso seems stuck in a tunnel he hasn’t been able to exit for far too long. His struggles are mirrored by the other riders of the Emilian marque. The Ducati performances didn’t match the dominance shown by Aprilia, with their four RS-GPs in the top five positions.

The VR46 Academy pupil summed up his frustration like this. "When Ai Ogura passed me, he just left me there. As soon as he accelerated in turn 3, he gained four tenths on me. They managed to figure something out and made a step forward, while we took a step back."

In the race he suffered from excessive rear tire degradation, but Pecco also engaged in self-criticism. "The other Ducati riders were more competitive than me, especially on the flying lap. Marc was having a good race, but he was on the limit and, in fact, he made a mistake that took him out. In any case, we weren’t in a position to say anything in this race..." Now all that remains is to wait for the next stop on the MotoGP calendar, in Brazil, for confirmations or rebuttals.

Before then, the announcement of Bagnaia’s move to Aprilia from 2027 could arrive. That’s when he’ll be able to count on the bike of the moment, the RS-GP, where he’ll find an old friend in the garage, Marco Bezzecchi, winner at Buriram, even if he made a mistake in the Sprint that forced him to retire. "I’m very happy for him, although he needs a good talking-to because he could have done the double,” said Pecco. “But I’ve made plenty of mistakes like that too, so I can’t say anything to him."