Pecco Bagnaia awaits Bulega in MotoGP: "He wasn't handled well by the media"

The two-time MotoGP champion arrives in Emilia-Romagna without particular expectations; his situation with the Ducati GP26 is very complicated, though his desire to perform well in front of the Italian fans is strong.

Francesco Bagnaia’s season has taken a bad turn. In the last two Grands Prix, held at Silverstone and Aragon, he collected 0 points. He’s facing many difficulties riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP26, a bike that was supposed to allow him to return to his best levels after the struggles with the GP25, but which instead is not giving him the satisfaction he hoped for.

If in 2025 his main problem was a lack of front-end feel, in 2026 the big issue is a lack of rear grip. He and the Ducati Lenovo team have been working for months to find a solution, but so far they haven’t succeeded. On this MotoGP weekend in Misano Adriatico, it’s hard to say what the Piedmontese rider can aim for; he certainly wants to put on a good show in front of the many fans who will come to support him.

Pecco doesn’t want updates on his Ducati; he believes a different kind of move is needed to become more competitive: "They are working and I’m fairly convinced that we don’t need new parts, but rather old ones. The bike is fast with other riders, so it’s my problem and I have to adapt. Is my situation like Quartararo’s? I don’t know about his, but I’ve never given up and I’ll keep trying until the end."

Fabio Quartararo has now broken with Yamaha; after the Grand Prix at Aragon there was a back-and-forth that raised the tension between the parties. The Frenchman seems to have essentially thrown in the towel and can’t wait to jump on the Honda, while Bagnaia continues to give his all to resolve his situation.

Asked whether rain could help him, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider denied it: "Given my difficulties, it could be worse; I hope it’s dry and that we can take a step forward."

In 2027, Nicolò Bulega will also be in MotoGP, the current World Superbike leader with past experience in Moto3 and Moto2 in the World Championship. Bagnaia knows him very well, as Bulega also came through the VR46 Riders Academy: "I’m happy," he comments, "when he arrived in 2016, I thought he was one of the greatest Italian talents. Unfortunately, the media side of things around him wasn’t managed well. The pressure he received, not through his own fault, wasn’t the right kind, and unfortunately he had to get lost to find himself again. In Superbike he found a fantastic situation. I know Serafino Foti personally; he’s a fantastic person and together with the Aruba team they’ve all been fantastic with Nicolò, who managed to be reborn and totally deserves his place in MotoGP."

Bulega is also a Ducati MotoGP test rider, which has allowed him to already lap with the Desmosedici in 2027 configuration and on Pirelli tires: "He’ll have an advantage," Pecco explains, "because he’s done many kilometers on the 850 bike and the new Pirelli tires. I think he’ll be at an advantage at the Valencia test and in the first test of 2026, but I think the other riders will adapt quickly."

We’ll see if the Emilian rider can be immediately competitive in MotoGP. Joining the class at a time when there will be a change in the technical regulations and a new tire supplier also seems like a shrewd choice. Time will tell.

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