Pecco Bagnaia, tire worn out after 3 laps: here’s what’s happening to his Ducati GP26

A points-scoring Sprint, but Ducati factory team’s number 63 remains unhappy with his situation: he has once again explained what happens on his Desmosedici.

After a disastrous Friday that saw him finish the day outside the top 10, Francesco Bagnaia made some progress today. In MotoGP Qualifying, he managed to get through Q1—which is no small feat these days—but then could do no better than tenth in Q2, leaving him hugely frustrated. At one point, he struck and broke the windscreen on his Ducati Desmosedici GP26. In the Sprint race, he started from the fourth row and crossed the finish line in sixth, more than eight seconds behind winner Pedro Acosta. In 2025, Pecco himself took pole position and won the Sprint in Malaysia; in 2026, he is nowhere near that level, and it is making him pretty nervous.

The three-time world champion spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP, far from thrilled with how the day had gone at Sepang: "I was lucky that a few raindrops started falling, because by the third lap I had already used up the rear tyre and had to fight incredibly hard. I did well to get off the line cleanly, and I managed to get well up the field under braking for the first corner. I tried to follow the riders ahead, but I just couldn't... I ran wide and used up the front tyre far too much, considering how long it usually lasts. It's a shame, but sixth place is better than the results we've been getting lately".

Bagnaia explained why his rear tyre lasted only three laps, which is highly unusual: "Compared with the other Ducati riders, the data clearly shows that as soon as I start leaning the bike into a corner, the rear begins to slide and keeps sliding until I'm completely upright on the exit. There's a total lack of grip, which causes excessive rear tyre wear, so I can't ride the way I want to. With so many long, sweeping corners like at Sepang, never being able to lean the bike over is even more difficult. On top of that, tyre wear is already high here, so a tyre that lasts longer for the others lasts just three laps for me".

The lack of rear grip is a problem Pecco has been dealing with for practically the entire 2026 championship. There seems to be no solution, despite the Ducati Lenovo MotoGP team trying everything it can to help him.

The situation is frustrating for the Piedmontese rider, who is likely to face a tough challenge in the 20-lap race given the problem he has to contend with: "The plan is to get going, do the best I can and try to manage the situation. Until two years ago, I was good at managing tyres, so I'll try to find something. We know there aren't many technical avenues left to explore, but maybe we'll surprise ourselves".

Bagnaia still holds the Sepang lap record, and remains convinced that his true ability is not reflected in what we are seeing right now: "At this point, it doesn't matter much. I know exactly what I'm capable of; I proved it last year in Japan. As for everything else, we know we're not in a position to do the same". Last year at Motegi, he had a perfect weekend, taking pole position and winning both races. He is sure that is the rider he is—not the one who has been struggling so much in recent months. We'll see whether the move to Aprilia brings back the best version of him.