says final weekend’s French Grand Prix marked the primary time he had “felt quick” on a MotoGP bike since 2024, suggesting he could have had a breakthrough.
Bagnaia’s well-documented 2025 struggles carried into the beginning of the present season, with the Italian failing to complete greater than ninth in a Sunday race throughout the opening 4 rounds.
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Ducati’s aggressive decline added to his troubles, with Bagnaia and his team-mates discovering it more and more arduous to take the struggle to MotoGP’s new benchmark Aprilia in 2026.
Nonetheless, a optimistic in-season check at Jerez appeared to signify a transparent step in the precise path, a development that was carried into Le Mans final weekend. After placing his manufacturing unit Ducati on pole place in qualifying, Bagnaia claimed a podium within the dash and was working second within the grand prix till he crashed at Flip 3.
Footage of the aftermath circulated on social media, exhibiting the two-time MotoGP champion kicking a hay bale and a cone earlier than returning to the paddock on a scooter.
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Talking on the eve of the Catalan Grand Prix, Bagnaia admitted that the frustration stemmed from what he noticed as a missed alternative to attain an enormous haul of factors and switch round his marketing campaign.
“Absolutely, I must observe my kicks a bit as a result of I nearly crashed once more,” he joked, earlier than including: “When, for the primary time after a season-and-a-half, you’re quick quick, you’re combating for a place once more, you’ll be able to overtake and you’ll be able to really feel the restrict, and also you crash… F**okay, I used to be actually upset, and I am nonetheless upset.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Staff
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Staff
, though he admitted that the identical difficulty that led to his DNF in Jerez resurfaced in France final weekend.
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Having beforehand been ambiguous about what precisely the issue was, the 29-year-old now clarified that it wasn’t associated to a technical fault.
“We discovered [the issue], and it’ll not occur once more. However it was not a technical drawback, so all the things is finished.
“It was a matter of feeling and we understood [the problem]. It won’t occur once more.”
Bagnaia hopes the low-grip floor at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will assist him perceive if he will be aggressive in all kinds of circuits.
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“After the Jerez check, we discovered a path that labored very effectively in Le Mans. We began working extra on the main points and, session by session, we had been enhancing,” he defined.
“We had been additionally in a aggressive race. Usually, this season, we’re at a weak level. This observe is a bit totally different in comparison with [Le Mans in terms of] the extent of grip and the structure.
“I feel it was at all times good for me, however we have to perceive if we will be aggressive from the beginning and attempt to use the efficiency we had in Le Mans. Additionally, as a result of final 12 months it was one of many worst for me. I used to be final or near final in all of the classes. The 12 months earlier than, I received each races.
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“I hope that we discovered a manner and dealing effectively, like we did in Le Mans, may assist us.”
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