Bagnaia crashes at Mandalika, just like a year ago: “We’ve felt the setback of the past two years.”

Same track, same corner, same ending. Pecco Bagnaia came away from the Indonesian Grand Prix with another zero, crashing at Turn 17 in Mandalika exactly as he had a year ago. But his analysis weighs more heavily than the crash itself: according to the Ducati rider, the Desmosedici has lost ground over the past two seasons.

The weekend had looked like a small step forward, with direct entry to Q2 and eighth place in the Sprint. Sunday, however, was over almost as soon as it began: Bagnaia was tenth when he went down on lap six.

The front tire pressure dropped below the limits set by Michelin from the very first laps. To bring it back up, Bagnaia tried to tuck in behind the rider ahead, but the bike wouldn’t cooperate.

According to the Turin-born rider, the pressure issue affected pretty much everyone: "I think it’s not very easy on this track. There aren’t many big braking zones, so with the humidity, temperatures and everything else, it’s harder to keep the tire in the right range".

The most worrying issue, however, is something else. Bagnaia isn’t talking about just one bad day, but about an unfavorable development in his Ducati that became clear at Mandalika:

An important distinction: the problem is more pronounced for him, but it isn’t his alone. Speaking to Sky Sport, Bagnaia himself explained that the data showed the other Ducati riders had "a little more" grip, though they still weren’t in an ideal position.

The numbers tell the story of the collapse: for the two-time world champion, it is his eighth scoreless Grand Prix of the season, Sprint races excluded, and he has slipped to ninth in the standings with 166 points. He scored 127 of those points in the first nine races, through Brno, and just 39 in the next eight. Brno was also his last Grand Prix podium, while his most recent win came at Motegi in 2025.

Phillip Island is next in two weeks, and it could prove just as challenging a track. Bagnaia isn’t under any illusions: "I’m in a situation where, since the start of the year, I’ve had absolutely no rear grip. So it could be very problematic. I hope we can do something to make the bike perform at least as well as the others". There are five Grands Prix left to bring his Ducati chapter to a less bitter end.

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