Pecco Bagnaia flawless, drought broken after 238 days: the decisive choices at Brno

Return to victory for the Piedmontese rider, author of a perfect Sprint Race: since Sepang 2024 he had been missing a Saturday win.

Francesco Bagnaia arrived in the Czech Republic without knowing exactly what his potential would be over the weekend. With a Ducati Desmosedici GP26 that he still couldn’t ride naturally, it was difficult to make predictions. After initial uncertainties and intense work with the team, the three-time world champion managed to secure a front-row start (third time in Qualifying) and win the MotoGP Sprint. His last Saturday triumph dated back to October 25, 2025, when he won in Malaysia.

Before the start, he was one of the few to fit the soft rear tire: what could have been a potentially risky decision turned into a spot-on move. He didn’t suffer the drop expected by those who opted for the medium, such as Ai Ogura, who finished behind Pecco and ahead of Marc Marquez, another rider who chose the soft.

The number 63 of the Ducati Lenovo team spoke about his victory to Sky Sport MotoGP, admitting that with the medium rear tire he wouldn’t have been able to beat Ogura: "On equal tires it would have been tougher, because with the medium I would have struggled more in the early laps and then in my opinion today I didn’t have Ogura’s pace. Choosing the soft was the right call; I knew it would be crucial to nail the start and push in the first three laps. Maybe pushing that hard slowed me a bit at the end, because the vibrations were intense, but I was able to better understand how to manage them for the race. The steps forward we’re making in recent races, apart from Balaton, are evident. We need to keep going like this".

Bagnaia can only be happy with today’s result in Brno and explained how he managed his Sprint Race, with a lightning start and a middle phase where he seemed to dip a bit, only to dig in and win: "On lap four I had 1.1 over Ogura and I felt the vibrations starting. I immediately switched to Power Map C and didn’t push like in the opening laps. I also figured out pretty quickly that I shouldn’t use the rear brake. Those two things together helped me stay consistent with my times. But I didn’t have the pace of Ai and Marc, who were lapping in the high 2s at the end".

There was another chance to explain one of the issues encountered so far riding the Desmosedici GP26: "It’s not so much on the brakes that I have to think about what to do," said the Piedmontese, "it’s more on corner entry and when I get on the gas that I have to be extremely precise, because the rear steps out a lot. Thanks to a change the team made to the rear brake I can be more precise and that helps me brake hard without overdoing the slide: now the bike lines up at the right moment and that helps me turn it". Steps forward have been made; on the Brno track he’s looking decidedly competitive. The soft tire helped him, but it’s not the only factor that made a difference.

After triumphing in the Sprint Race, Bagnaia wants to prevail on Sunday as well. In 2026 he hasn’t won a long race yet; at best he finished third, which happened three times in the last three rounds on the calendar. His last Sunday win dates back to Motegi 2025, when he also took the Sprint. That was his best weekend of a season below expectations.

Today he feels better riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP26, which has a front end that suits his riding style more, even if it’s still not a perfect bike for him. There are still limits he and the team need to work on, but it seems a productive path has been taken. Backing it up with a podium on Sunday would be an excellent sign. And if Pecco were to make it to the top step, it would be even better for him and for his standings, where he is now seventh, 63 points behind leader Marco Bezzecchi. There are still many GPs to go; he cannot be ruled out of the title fight.