There was a time when Bagnaia won at Motegi, but this time he's keeping expectations low

Pecco Bagnaia returns to Motegi as last year's winner, but he’s not getting ahead of himself. In Japan he unexpectedly dominated, winning both the Sprint and the Grand Prix from pole. On the eve of the 2026 edition, the Ducati rider lowers the bar: the stated goal is to fight for the top seven positions.

The picture is that of a season even tougher than the last. The two-time MotoGP champion has yet to win a Grand Prix in 2026 and is only ninth in the standings, as his time with Ducati nears its end. His last podium dates back to Brno, where he won the Sprint and finished third on Sunday. The Red Bull Ring brought a better weekend, with a sixth and a seventh place.

That double in Japan, which came on the same weekend Marc Marquez clinched the world title, had seemed like the turning point of a troubled 2025 with the GP25. Instead, it proved to be an isolated flash. The Turin native, however, remembers it with a smile: “Fantastic feelings. I was riding at 100% and I was having fun riding, in my own way, like Frank Sinatra,” he said on Thursday during the media session.

Finding that feeling again, however, is anything but guaranteed. “It’s difficult, we’ve been trying for more or less two seasons,” he admitted.

The bond with Japan remains strong. “Every season is different, so I don’t have any particular expectations for this year,” he explained. “The reality is that we need to focus, and the goal is to fight for the top seven positions; I think that’s realistic.” The big question mark is the new asphalt: “We need to understand the differences between the new and old asphalt and see if we can solve the grip issues we’ve had with the new one.”

There’s some hope in the track’s characteristics, which favor braking—his strong point. But when asked if he could aim for more, Pecco kept his feet on the ground: “In these situations it’s better to be realistic and optimistic, because as a team we really are. We work hard to do the best we can, but we have to keep our feet on the ground and accept that we might also struggle a bit.”

Bagnaia doesn’t hide that the competition has taken steps forward, starting with KTM. “Let’s say the other bikes have improved. KTM, from Aragon onward, has improved a lot. We, unfortunately, can no longer reach 100% of our potential compared to last year—going on two years now. We’re struggling a bit to get back to our original level.”

Ahead of him, the title fight is wide open: as detailed in Martin-Marquez, at Motegi the MotoGP sprint resumes: but four riders have already led the Championship, Jorge Martin arrives in Japan with a 12-point lead over Marquez. Bagnaia, meanwhile, is mainly looking for a good Friday: “I hope to start well tomorrow and to have good feelings.”

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