Red alert for Ducati: Is Pecco Bagnaia throwing in the towel?

There’s a certain unease in Ducati’s team garages after the first three races of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship. The Desmosedici is no longer the unbeatable machine it was until a few months ago. After clinching the Triple Crown in 2025, the Borgo Panigale factory now finds itself chasing Aprilia. An perhaps unexpected overtake that took place over the winter break, but one that may have been foreshadowed at the end of last season.

In Texas, no Ducati made the podium in the Sunday race, while in the Sprint Pecco Bagnaia managed to secure second place. The finishing order reflects the current pecking order on track, with the Noale bikes taking victory in both races. According to the riders, the Desmosedici has technical shortcomings, especially under braking. Then there are Marc Marquez’s health issues who, still not at peak fitness after the Mandalika crash, took another hit at the Austin circuit.

The difficulties with the Ducati GP26 have increased, and the MotoGP winter tests hadn’t highlighted this technical regression. “It’s very clear that we have to work hard to improve… especially now that the competition is proving so strong,” commented Gigi Dall’Igna after the COTA weekend. “In the United States we had more difficulties than we should have: a wake-up call that should push us to win again.”

At the Texas GP, during FP2, the Borgo Panigale outfit rolled out a new rear aerodynamic package, featuring side winglets under the seat and also on the tail section, with a closed tray-style support somewhat reminiscent of what KTM and Aprilia have already used. For now these new rear tails are available only to Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia. Over the last MotoGP weekend, the aerodynamic update was fitted to only one of the two bikes each of them had at their disposal.

Fairings are limited by regulations, to contain costs, to two evolutions per season—but only for the front section—so that on the rear, as Ducati has done now, they can incorporate five appendages over the course of the championship, changing them as often as they like. It probably won’t be the cure-all for the Desmosedici GP26’s problems, but it could represent a first step forward in the evolution of the Emilia-based prototype.

Pecco Bagnaia’s statements, however, offer little hope in the short term. The only consolation is that with the cancellation of the Qatar round, the MotoGP World Championship returns to the track on April 24–26 at Jerez. Ducati’s engineers have time on their side to study solutions, although the Aprilia RS-GPs seem to have opened up a gap behind them that will be hard to close in a matter of weeks. While Marc Marquez is still dealing with a right shoulder injury, Bagnaia is struggling, and not a little, with tire management. “Since the start of the year I’ve lost a lot of speed in Sunday races. I can’t be competitive and we’re trying to figure out how to improve.”

From the opening laps the Red #63 struggles to push and “the tires were worn out after eight laps,” the Piedmontese rider explained. A mystery that remains unresolved: “During warm-up, I started to feel worse than yesterday. The bike felt heavier and had less grip.” Ducati therefore needs to be self-critical: “We’ve always been strong in tire management, but now we’re limited by the fact the bike doesn’t slow down and doesn’t turn, so we have to use the rear tire and we wear it out quickly.”

The reality must also be accepted: at the moment the Noale prototypes are faster. “Aprilia is ahead, by quite a bit,” Bagnaia concluded. He’s probably eager to change liveries and turn the page to climb onto the RS-GP. But there are still several months to go...