Pecco Bagnaia, a "mysterious" issue forces retirement at Jerez: what happened?

Retirement caused by something yet to be clarified for Bagnaia, who couldn’t reveal much in the post-race interviews at Jerez: an important Monday test to improve.

After finishing second in the sprint race, Francesco Bagnaia didn’t even complete the full-length race of the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix MotoGP. On lap 13, while running in the top 10, he ran wide and slowed significantly before returning to the garage. There was an issue with his Ducati Desmosedici GP26, but no details emerged. From some live images, it looked like the front tire was a bit deflated. In any case, it was a major disappointment for the three-time world champion, who hopes to make use of Monday’s test to take steps forward and be more competitive in the upcoming Grands Prix.

Sky Sport MotoGP asked him whether the issue involved something between the tire, braking system, and rim: "Yes," Pecco replied, "The team is working, checking everything. There was a technical issue at the front, and we’re quite confident it will be unlikely to happen again. Hopefully it’ll be resolved for tomorrow."

Bagnaia also explained what he was feeling on the Ducati before being forced to retire from the race: "Apart from the start, which didn’t go well, I was feeling quite a bit more comfortable than on Saturday. I could brake hard, I overtook several riders, and my pace wasn’t bad, until the issue started to get worse. Already at the start I wasn’t at my best, I was struggling, but the more I went on the worse it got, until I had to stop. Still, I was feeling fairly good, I was able to get the bike to turn a bit better, even though the problem remains the same: if you want a certain cornering speed, you have to push the front a lot. But I think we made a small step forward today, and we’ll work on it a lot in the test."

Pecco confirmed that Monday’s test will be crucial for working and progressing, also looking at what has been done in other garages: "The Gresini team worked very well during the break, and we’ll try some of their solutions, which were key to Alex’s performance, strong right from the start at Jerez. Then Ducati brought some work on something that could help us."

Finally, the Ducati Lenovo rider reiterated what isn’t working with his Desmosedici GP26: "The general problem this year is inertia, the push we have when we carry speed into the corner. You can’t get the bike to turn unless you really force it. With a new tire it’s a bit better, but as soon as there’s some drop-off it becomes really tough to ride."