Pecco Bagnaia unrecognizable compared to testing: analysis of the flop at Buriram

Disappointing Bagnaia in the MotoGP weekend at Buriram; much more was expected from him: here’s the post-race commentary.

The pre-season tests had been very promising, but Francesco Bagnaia was not competitive enough in the first MotoGP Grand Prix of 2026. In Thailand, he did not qualify directly for Q2, failed to get through Q1, started thirteenth, and finished ninth at the line both in the sprint and in the long race. This is not what was expected from him, especially after the very positive comments he made at the end of winter testing.

The three-time world champion spoke about his race in the usual interview with Sky Sport MotoGP: "I was the last of the Ducati riders; I was definitely the one who performed the worst. It was quite a tough race. I tried to manage from the start, I didn’t push for even a single lap, to have tire left at the end. Despite that, I got to the last 8 laps spinning the rear even in fifth on the straight. Unfortunately, when in the final laps I was getting closer to the group ahead, I started to really suffer from tire wear."

The Ducati Desmosedici was not the best bike at Buriram, but Marc Marquez almost won the sprint and probably would have finished second or third without today’s retirement. Bagnaia and his team need to understand what happened in this Thai GP: "Marquez would have been on the podium, then what happened happened. If after the tests I had been asked what my goal would be, I would have answered top 3. We had potential that we were never able to unlock over the weekend. We really loaded the front with the tires in testing, lapping quite consistently, and never had issues like this. Instead, from the start of the weekend we couldn’t stop the bike well, we struggled to get it turned, and to manage traction."

Pecco doesn’t look for excuses and believes that what happened this weekend might have been almost a one-off: "The only thing different compared to testing is the Pirelli tire (those from Moto2 and Moto3), but that can’t be an excuse. We’ll roll up our sleeves and aim to get back to the front. In my opinion, this was a bit of a standalone race; it’s hard to think Ducati’s level could be this. I’m sure Ducati will be back where it belongs in Brazil. I believe it."

The next event on the MotoGP calendar will be in Brazil, which returns to the championship schedule from 2026. Over the March 20–22 weekend, the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna will host the event.