Pecco Bagnaia MotoGP struggles continued on Friday at the Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika, where the Italian rider ended practice in 17th place, well outside of the top qualifiers. Despite showing strong performance just last weekend in Japan, Bagnaia found himself grappling with difficult conditions that left both him and the Ducati team searching for answers.
The double world champion had appeared to be turning a corner during the Motegi round, where he secured pole position, won the sprint race, and clinched victory in the grand prix. Yet, those encouraging signs did not carry over to the Indonesian track, as practice times revealed that nearly all Ducati riders, including Bagnaia, struggled to remain competitive on Friday.
Challenges Resurfacing at Mandalika
Bagnaia’s struggles were particularly frustrating given the similarity of the tyres used this year compared to last season, when he excelled in Indonesia with a sprint win and a third-place finish in the grand prix. The Italian noted that his current feelings on the bike resembled how he had felt at Misano rather than the confidence experienced in Motegi, despite the theoretical consistency in equipment.
“Yeah, it’s quite clear it’s tough,”
Bagnaia acknowledged.
“I was expecting more, I was wanting more. But somehow I didn’t feel like I did in Motegi, I was feeling more like in Misano. It’s quite strange because the bike, theoretically, is the same. So, we need to understand what is not working and also what is not working for Ducati, because all the Ducatis are struggling apart from [Fermin] Aldeguer.”
He highlighted the unique difficulty Mandalika poses to him personally, noting the track has “never been kind” in previous outings. Still, Bagnaia expressed cautious hope due to anticipated improvements in track conditions for Saturday.
“It’s quite difficult, but the experience from last year is giving me the confidence to say we don’t touch anything on the bike because it’s useless,”
he said.
“Tomorrow the grip will increase, maybe the change will be useless, and maybe the feeling will be better. So, we will not change anything. We will just try to understand the data tonight because I’ve already seen the lap from Aldeguer and it’s impressive how much traction he was having.”
Bagnaia added,
“So, we just try to understand it and work for tomorrow to have some ideas in case it will be the same situation.”
It was also a relief to him to see other top riders such as Marc Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio enduring similar difficulties during Friday’s sessions.
Shifting Away from Technical Discussions
After VR46’s announcement that Bagnaia had tested Franco Morbidelli’s GP24 bike at Misano last month—and this having been linked to his recent surge in form—the rider chose to step back from engaging in technical debates. Bagnaia shared his intention to focus solely on riding and leave technical matters to Ducati’s team director, Gigi.
“Honestly, all this season that I’m speaking about things, trying to be as clear as possible,”
he said,
“But I’m the rider, I want to be focused on riding. And technical side, Gigi is the one to ask. I don’t want to answer anymore on the technical side. I’m just saying what people are telling me what to say.”
Outlook for the Weekend
With Friday’s practice highlighting ongoing issues, Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati face the challenge of adapting to Mandalika’s demanding circuit once again. The anticipated increase in track grip on Saturday could help improve Bagnaia’s lap times and riding feel, but the root causes of the struggles remain unclear. His cautious approach suggests Ducati’s team will analyze data carefully overnight and consider strategic responses to regain competitiveness in time for qualifying and the race.
Bagnaia’s mixed emotions reflect the tension of a rider eager to build on his Motegi success yet frustrated by recurring setbacks. How Ducati addresses these challenges throughout the weekend will be crucial to determining if Bagnaia can bounce back on a track where he has historically struggled.
