Bagnaia listens to Pedrosa: the new strategy goes live online

Pecco Bagnaia needed to change something in Austria after a particularly difficult Friday. The two-time MotoGP champion couldn’t find the right feeling with his Desmosedici GP26. The solution didn’t come only from his garage... Dani Pedrosa stepped in to give him advice live on TV on DAZN.

Once again, the Piedmontese rider had to deal with the soft tires. No difference in grip compared to the medium tires—an issue that has been dragging on for some time aboard the Ducati. On Friday he was only 18th, about nine tenths off the best lap set by Pedro Acosta.

On Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, Pecco Bagnaia tried a different setup. The change didn’t solve all the problems, but it did help the VR46 Academy pupil regain part of the feeling. Above all, it improved his braking ability and his use of the rear wheel on corner entry. "Even though there were some wet patches, I immediately felt better. I was able to brake better and use the rear to turn."

During the MotoGP Sprint he tried to gather more information ahead of the long race. Hence the choice to fit medium tires. "I don’t think I would have done better with the softs. Maybe I would have had a slightly higher pace in the first two laps, but Sunday’s race will be very long and I wanted to understand some things better," Bagnaia explained.

The choice proved useful for Ducati. Sixth place in the Sprint is not the result they hoped for. But it still allowed them to draw conclusions about the next steps to take for the GP26’s setup. And here’s one of the most curious stories of the Austrian weekend. Pecco admits that the change in mindset came after listening to Dani Pedrosa on DAZN.

The former MotoGP rider advised him to do more laps on the bike to understand its behavior before obsessing over lap times. "I listened to the advice Dani Pedrosa gave on TV, when he said that maybe it would be better to do more laps with the bike to understand it better. It was good advice."

Pecco Bagnaia had already considered something similar. But he admits that putting it into practice is complicated when the result of every session carries enormous weight. "It’s not easy to ride and try not to look at the result, because that’s what we’re here for. Especially doing it at a home race like Misano, knowing your potential, is difficult."

Together with the Ducati technicians they made specific changes to the Red bike. A solution already used in the past, although applied slightly differently this time. The result was better for Bagnaia, who managed to make the rear wheel work in a way more suited to his riding style. He’s able to allow a bit of rear-end slide that he can exploit in the corner. A feeling he’d been chasing for months. It may not be enough to reach the podium, but it seems like a good start to get closer to the top...

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