Ducati updates get the green light: Pecco Bagnaia lays the groundwork for a 2026 resurgence

Bagnaia fairly satisfied after the Valencia test: too early to say the 2025 problems are solved, but it was important to end the season with confidence.

In the morning he didn’t go out due to unfavorable track conditions, but then the action began and Francesco Bagnaia was one of the most anticipated. After a complicated year, it was crucial for him to work with the team to better understand what didn’t work and which solutions to adopt. Ducati focused heavily on the electronics and also tested a new fairing. The rider ended with the tenth fastest time, set with a hard front and medium rear tire. When he fitted the soft compound he made a mistake and couldn’t do the time attack. Otherwise, we would have seen him further up the order in the MotoGP test at Valencia.

The three-time world champion sounded fairly calm on Sky Sport MotoGP’s microphones: "It was definitely a positive day. I felt comfortable right away with the 2026 prototype, we managed to work well. We tried different solutions and the pace was very good, the lap times were very good. I didn’t encounter difficulties."

Bagnaia admits he’s leaving Valencia in good spirits; the updates he tested allowed him to ride better and be fast: "I’m very happy, because the times in this test were extremely fast. It would have been nice to have them during the weekend and, in general, to have this feeling not just today. It’s positive to have found it; I’m going on vacation in a better mood than over the weekend. I would have liked to do the time attack with the softs, but I had a very small issue and couldn’t do it."

Today the Desmosedici GP was more in line with his preferences: a more solid front end and improvements in how the power is delivered on corner exit. Pecco confirms the progress: "Yes, definitely. Better, for sure. Anyway, these are the first outings and there’s still work to do. I think this base is excellent, we started off well right away and we need to build from here."

It’s too early to get carried away, of course, but for Bagnaia it was crucial to rediscover good riding feel and competitive lap times. It seems Ducati managed to put him in the right conditions, although we’ll have to wait for the 2026 tests to better understand the situation. Pecco’s hope is that he has laid the foundation for his resurgence in the next championship.