Bagnaia looks to WorldSBK to solve his starting issue: "It wouldn't be bad"

Pecco Bagnaia will race his final MotoGP season with Ducati before diving into a new adventure with Aprilia. The three-time world champion continues to seek solutions to improve his feeling with the Desmosedici and overcome the difficulties encountered in qualifying.

Starting position is a key factor in addressing the issues he has faced on the GP26. Bagnaia is the tenth rider with the most pole positions in history, with 35 (28 in MotoGP), compared to Marc Marquez’s 105 (77 in MotoGP), who leads the all-time rankings. However, recently Pecco’s qualifying prowess has dropped significantly, compromising his performances and race results. His last pole dates back to the Le Mans GP last May, the previous one to the Sepang GP 2025. In the last two seasons he has taken only four pole positions!

This negative trend resurfaced at the Sachsenring, just before the summer break. On that occasion, Pecco Bagnaia qualified only eleventh. "It’s clear that, at the moment, the further forward you start, the better, because starting from the back is a huge disadvantage. Also, with a single qualifying session, if you make a mistake, you’re ruined for two races: the Sprint and Sunday’s race. It’s a major limitation," the VR46 Academy pupil explained to the journalists in the press room.

While waiting to find solutions to turn this situation around, the rider from Chivasso proposes a “change of plan”... "In my opinion, a good idea would be to implement the system used in WorldSBK. Use the results of the Sprint race to determine the starting grid for the main race. Such a solution wouldn’t be bad." A reform of this magnitude would allow riders to correct mistakes made during a single qualifying lap on Saturday.

There are less than two weeks to go before the MotoGP championship resumes, and Pecco Bagnaia, like the other riders, is alternating between rest and training. The Ducati standard-bearer took advantage of the break to undergo surgery on his right forearm to resolve compartment syndrome. A few days ago, he was back on track at Misano, together with Valentino Rossi and his Academy colleagues, riding a road-homologated Panigale.

The goal is to focus on recovery and rehabilitation of the forearm ahead of the next round at Silverstone (August 7-9). A comeback for the MotoGP ’26 title seems difficult, but Pecco can still aim for the top three. He is currently eighth in the overall standings, 47 points behind Marc Marquez and 65 behind leader Jorge Martin. Before moving to Aprilia, the Piedmont native wants to leave Ducati with a good memory.

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