Pecco Bagnaia, an early mistake at Buriram: his explanation for the 15th-fastest time

Bagnaia outside the top 10, he will have to start from Q2 on Saturday at Buriram: the Ducati rider acknowledged his responsibilities.

After some promising pre-season tests, there was curiosity to see if Francesco Bagnaia would get off on the right foot in the first MotoGP Grand Prix of 2026. He finished FP1 with the seventh fastest time, just behind Marc Marquez, but the three-time world champion went no further than 15th in the pre-qualifying at Buriram. He will have to start from Q1, which is always very tricky.

Interviewed by Sky Sport MotoGP, Pecco explained why he wasn’t able to put together a good lap during the afternoon Practice session, which was also marked by a moment when conditions changed and he probably didn’t manage it in the best way: "I certainly didn’t do a good job in that situation. It was a complicated day; in the afternoon I couldn’t be competitive right away. We had some things to try, but with the conditions we had, it might have been better to stay put. We never managed to nail the right moment. But it’s only the first day; tomorrow we can give 100% and get into Q2."