Ducati GP26 under fire: Bagnaia risks a very bitter farewell

Pecco Bagnaia risks heading into another disappointing MotoGP season. In the first three races of 2025, his best race result has been a ninth place, for a total haul of 25 points that barely keeps him in the top 10 of the riders’ standings. With a contract secured at Aprilia for the coming years, the Piedmontese rider will have to try to wrap up his final season with Ducati in the best possible way.

It seems absurd that after winning two consecutive MotoGP titles (2022–2023) and narrowly missing a third (2024), he now finds himself struggling on the Desmosedici GP. Not long ago, Valentino Rossi summed up Pecco Bagnaia’s difficulties this way: "You know what the biggest problem is? His rear tire wears out a lot." The Doctor knows his pupil and the premier class world very well; they often train together at the Ranch, and he gathers his most intimate impressions. Less than two years ago he was very strong in the final laps; now "he’s slower."

The rear grip issues are set to persist into 2026 as well, as highlighted during the United States GP. The Chivasso rider missed out on the Sprint win after being caught and overtaken on the last lap by Jorge Martin on the Aprilia RS-GP. “Martinator” was the only MotoGP rider to choose the medium rear tire instead of the soft. But it was Bagnaia’s drop in pace, just as much as the tire choice of the Madrid-born rival, that determined the outcome of the short race.

On the penultimate lap at COTA, race leader Bagnaia was slower not only than Martin, but also Pedro Acosta, Joan Mir, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini, Raul Fernandez, Ai Ogura, Johann Zarco, Brad Binder, and his teammate Marc Marquez, who was running at the back with a damaged bike. The trend continued in Sunday’s race, as he slipped from fifth to tenth in the closing stages. "Even though I wasn’t pushing, I ran out of rear tire," Bagnaia confirmed. "In the last two laps I was completely on the limit, risking a crash just by leaning on the right side."

The first three Grands Prix have been an ordeal for the VR46 Academy protégé. If Ducati doesn’t find fixes during these weeks off, and with a view to the Jerez test, Pecco’s championship will be another ordeal. Apparently, the GP26 relies too heavily on the rear tire to turn, subjecting the rubber to excessive stress. "We can’t brake the bike well; the front is pushing too hard and we have to steer with the rear, and that’s how we destroy it." By contrast, his garage mate Marc Marquez struggled in the early laps, then improved in the second half of the race.

If the 2025 MotoGP season has been almost a disaster, this time it could go even worse for Bagnaia. At the start of last season, he finished third at Buriram, fourth in Argentina, and won in Austin. In 2024 he won in Qatar, crashed in Portugal, and finished fifth in Austin. In 2023 he won in Portugal, finished 16th in Argentina, and retired in the USA. In 2022 he failed to finish in Losail, came 15th in Indonesia, and fifth in Argentina. In 2021 he finished third in Qatar, sixth at the Doha GP, and second at Portimao.

Pecco only did worse in his MotoGP debut in 2019 with Pramac Ducati: retirement in Qatar, 14th in Argentina, and ninth in Austin. To close out the Ducati chapter on a high, he needs a result at Jerez. This is his last year with Ducati before moving to Aprilia, where he has signed a 2+2 contract starting in 2027. He needs podiums and wins to leave a great memory with the marque he always dreamed of racing for. Before the divorce that’s not yet announced, but already signed.