Bold start: Francesco Bagnaia isn’t panicking after another rough MotoGP weekend, and he believes there’s a clear path to turning things around. But here’s where it gets controversial: some will question whether his optimism is justified after a stumble-filled start to 2026 in Thailand.
Francesco Bagnaia, riding for factory Ducati, arrived in Buriram aiming to rebound from a difficult 2025 season in which he won two races but often struggled to match teammate Marc Marquez’s form. Pre-season testing suggested his 2025 troubles were behind him, as the GP26 felt comfortable to ride and his lap times indicated growing confidence.
Yet during the Buriram weekend, Bagnaia never found a steady rhythm. A string of late-qualifying mistakes left him 13th on the grid. He managed to grab a single sprint point but made no meaningful progress in Sunday’s race, even though he started ninth after the opening lap. Only retirements from Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez and Joan Mir kept him inside the top 10.
When asked to explain his struggles, Bagnaia, a three-time world champion, said he was managing the tyres and didn’t push hard enough to preserve rear grip. He described the race as strange: with eight laps to go he began to spin through fifth gear on the straight, losing positions and making it impossible to maintain a constant pace despite early tyre management.
The Thailand Grand Prix was run in unusually scorching heat, with track temperatures around 58C. Michelin introduced a special tyre carcass for Buriram, a factor Marc Marquez suggested contributed to Marco Bezzecchi’s dominant performance on the Aprilia.
Ducati’s overall performance at Buriram appeared less competitive, adding to Bagnaia’s burden as he starts the season with the mood of a disappointing ending to 2025, when he did not finish the last five races.
However, Bagnaia insists the ninth-place finish isn’t a crisis, viewing it as a starting point to rebuild speed. “I think finishing last year the way I did was important to restart and to begin building the speed again,” he said. “I’m not that worried about my result. It’s not the position I want, but it’s a point from which to grow.”
He acknowledged he never felt comfortable across the weekend. FP1 was his best session, but from FP2 through the race he struggled significantly. He contrasted this with the test sessions, where he felt fantastic, could push hard, and managed the tyres well. For unknown reasons, race weekend dynamics flipped that positive testing momentum.
Bagnaia emphasized the need for improvement, noting that they are no longer the fastest and must understand why others have progressed while Ducati regressed.
Regarding what changed, he pointed to tyre management: the bike’s turning behavior seemed reduced in the race, making it harder to control the rear tyre with throttle input. In the test, the bike turned more readily, but in Buriram’s race conditions, that advantage disappeared.
Contextual note: Bagnaia did have a podium in Buriram last year, finishing third behind the Marquez brothers, so the newer results represent a setback rather than a first-time issue. When pressed about the drop, he attributed it to the competition’s evolution and Ducati’s own setup—highlighting the need to understand why their rivals improved while Ducati did not.
Bottom line: Bagnaia remains confident there’s a constructive path forward, urging patience as the team analyzes tyre behavior, chassis balance, and race strategy to reclaim their top form. The question for fans and analysts is whether Ducati can translate the testing comfort into consistent race pace, and whether Bagnaia can regain the bite needed to challenge the supremacy of Bezzecchi’s Bezzecchi-style performance on the Bezzecchi-influenced machines.
What do you think: will Ducati close the gap in the next round, or does this signal a deeper issue with tyre management and bike behavior that could affect the title race this year?
