Pecco Bagnaia baffled after risking crashes and still finishing outside points

Manufacturing facility Ducati MotoGP rider Francesco Bagnaia says he has no rationalization for his torrid type on the Catalan Grand Prix, saying he was pushing to the restrict and risking crashes.

Having endured his worst qualifying lead to three years earlier on Saturday, Bagnaia made little progress from twenty first on the grid within the dash, ending 14th in a race that noticed simply 18 finishers.

It marked the continuation of his mid-season hunch in MotoGP that has seen him end fourth, seventh and eighth within the final three grands prix, and miss Q2 on two consecutive weekends.

Nevertheless, the two-time MotoGP champion confused that his latest run of type was not right down to a scarcity of aggression, as he revealed how usually he got here near crashing in Saturday’s dash race.

“What’s troublesome to do and to just accept is that I am struggling and I am risking to crash quite a bit,” he mentioned. “I am ending the rear tyre all over the place. Going one second slower every lap, one second and a half slower every lap. It is unusual, very unusual. 

“At the moment, I risked to crash seven instances. It is unusual as a result of final yr I used to be a lot sooner. I by no means had this sort of threat.”

He added: “I am [running] behind riders. Wanting [at them] from behind, I am unable to acquire a whole lot of benefit in some components, and within the others I am dropping quite a bit. Driving like that is fairly troublesome.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Group

Photograph by: Lluis Gene / AFP by way of Getty Photos

Bagnaia’s poor type has been one of many largest speaking factors of the 2025 season, with Marc Marquez’s arrival altering the dynamics within the Ducati storage.

The Italian has watched Marquez, with 10 grand prix wins and 14 dash victories, pull virtually twice as many factors on him this season and transfer nearer to his seventh premier class title.

However even without end to his troubles, Bagnaia has vowed not to surrender and to discover a resolution to his troubles on the GP25.

“Truthfully, I am considering session by session. I am a dreamer and each time I am hoping to really feel higher. Like I all the time did,” he mentioned. “I’ll by no means settle for this case till it isn’t completed. As a result of if I’ve an opportunity, I’ll all the time attempt. I’ll by no means surrender the state of affairs. I am not this sort of man and I am making an attempt to do the utmost each time.

“We’re all the time making an attempt, all people [is trying] to do the utmost. Truthfully, proper now, it is fairly troublesome to say that we’re doing the utmost as a result of I completed 14th, however I overtook [Alex] Rins and Aleix [Espargaro] right this moment. 

“So certainly I can do one thing higher and higher. It is true that my feeling with this bike just isn’t the perfect. However I can not additionally do twenty first in qualifying and end in 14th within the dash.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Group

Photograph by: Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photos / by way of Getty Photos

No GP24/GP25 comparisons

Throughout pre-season testing, Bagnaia was satisfied that final yr’s title-winning GP24 was faster and extra suited to his model of driving, however Ducati ultimately opted for an answer that was nearer to this yr’s new GP25 prototype.

When requested if there may be something he prefers concerning the GP25 in comparison with final yr’s bike, Bagnaia declined to make a comparability.

“I do not wish to evaluate the bikes anymore,” he mentioned. “Proper now, it is the bike I’ve. Marc is doing an excellent job with it. It is clear that right this moment it wasn’t the quickest however it gained. So we simply have to respect his job and see what he is doing as a result of he is driving in a really excellent manner.” He added: “Proper now I am solely centered on the issues. It is [about] why I am struggling like this. In some conditions, it is simply higher serious about driving and never serious about the remaining. It is one thing that I have to do.”

Images from Catalan GP – Qualifying & Dash

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