BAGNAIA CRASHES IN INDONESIA AND SAYS DUCATI HAS LOST GROUND

Francesco Bagnaia’s difficult season continued at the Indonesian Grand Prix, where he crashed out on lap six for his eighth retirement of the year. The Ducati rider had qualified 10th and finished eighth in Saturday’s Sprint, but his two points there were the only thing preventing another scoreless weekend. He has collected just 23 points across the six rounds since the summer break and has slipped to ninth in the championship, behind Alex Marquez.

Bagnaia had made Q2 directly for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix in June, but the improvement did not translate into race pace. He said he was “wasn’t surprised” by the crash, explaining: “I was slow, and I was trying to catch up with Luca to raise the front tyre pressure. But I was asking too much of my bike at that moment; it wasn’t supporting me. And I crashed.” He described the problem simply: “No grip, no feeling.”

The Italian said the Ducati’s rear-grip issues were especially evident at Mandalika, where speed and traction are crucial. “The step backwards we’ve taken in the last two years has been particularly noticeable on this track,” he said. “We no longer have much connection with the gas, and on a track like this, that really shows.” Bagnaia added that he lacked grip and needed more support from the rear, while data suggested other Ducati riders had somewhat more grip, though their performance was not ideal either. Ducati’s weekend was mixed: Marc Marquez won the Sprint and finished sixth in the Grand Prix, while Fabio Di Giannantonio qualified third.

Asked after the race about his condition and the crash, Bagnaia replied: “I’m good, and I crashed.” In a brief exchange with MotoGP interviewer Kiko Giles, he said he had expected to finish “P11 or P10” and described his main difficulty with two words: “No potential.” Asked whether the next round at Phillip Island might offer more, he answered: “I hope.”

The comments followed an eighth-place finish at Motegi, where Bagnaia said Ducati’s data pointed to a general lack of speed rather than one specific problem. His Mandalika weekend offered little sign of a breakthrough: despite reaching Q2, he managed only eighth in the Sprint before crashing at Turn 17 in the Grand Prix.

Bagnaia is due to leave Ducati for Aprilia at the end of the season, with the Valencia test on 1 December approaching as an important opportunity to begin working with his next team. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi has rejected suggestions that the bike is designed around Marc Marquez, saying both riders are free to choose their preferred setups.