Francesco Bagnaia endured a challenging 2025 MotoGP season, unable to unlock the potential of the Ducati GP25 bike. Entering the year after narrowly missing the 2024 title—losing by just 10 points to Jorge Martin—Bagnaia aimed to claim his third championship. However, various obstacles, including intense competition from teammate Marc Marquez, stood in his way.
While Jorge Martin transitioned to Aprilia, Bagnaia hoped to regain dominance, but the performance struggles with the GP25, especially in braking and corner entry, limited his results. Marquez secured 25 wins and the championship, while Bagnaia managed only two victories and finished fifth overall. Beyond technical problems, Bagnaia acknowledged errors on his part, particularly related to adapting to the bike’s ride height device.
Bagnaia reflects on underappreciating his early-season efforts and adapting difficulties
In a candid conversation on the BENZINE // Cosimo Curatola YouTube channel, Bagnaia admitted that he failed to value his initial performances during the season, despite scoring seven podiums in the first 11 races, including a win in Austin. After the summer break, his form sharply declined, with retirements in five of the last six races.
“But then last year was a very difficult season in many ways,”
said Bagnaia.
“Definitely at the beginning I made a big mistake by not being happy with certain results that in the end didn’t even come.”
He explained that technical challenges forced him to change his riding style to cope with the GP25, which was difficult to accept.
“So I was in a lot of trouble on a technical level in terms of riding. I couldn’t use my riding style to go fast, I had to try to adapt to a bike that still caused me a lot of difficulty and it was complicated, perhaps to accept this.”
“But in any case, everything is useful, difficulties always lead you to understand something and I think I understand.”
Bagnaia takes responsibility and looks forward to a stronger 2026 with Ducati’s new bike
Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Bagnaia engaged in discussions with Ducati, where he recognized that his downturn was not solely due to the bike. Embracing accountability, he committed to improving his approach. Meanwhile, Ducati worked on the GP26 to provide him with a machine better suited to his strengths.
After testing the new GP26 in Sepang, Bagnaia showed renewed confidence, benefiting from improved braking capabilities that complement his style. According to team principal Davide Tardozzi, Bagnaia appears to be back in form, ready to challenge for the 2026 championship.
While Marc Marquez has been a formidable rival on equal machinery, the improvements in both bike and mindset suggest Bagnaia is positioned to compete aggressively in the upcoming season.
