BAGNAIA CRITICIZES DAZN AFTER MISANO VIDEO CONTROVERSY

With MotoGP’s European leg reaching its final stop of the season before the series moves to Asia, Ducati factory rider Pecco Bagnaia arrived at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg facing a different kind of challenge: the fallout from events at Misano and a dispute with a TV crew.

Bagnaia, 29, was reportedly in a noticeably upbeat mood at Thursday’s press session, but his expression turned serious when the conversation shifted to Misano. According to the report, a “semi-private” conversation involving Bagnaia from the Saturday at Misano was recorded by a DAZN Spain TV crew and partially published. Bagnaia said the clip was presented in the wrong context and that the video did not show the full exchange.

The two-time world champion addressed the issue directly, insisting that what was shown was disrespectful and misleading. “What happened in Misano was completely disrespectful from DAZN,” Bagnaia said. He added that while the topic discussed was not secret, the recording was “taken completely out of context.” He also pointed out that the footage was incomplete: “The video is not complete. There was still something else included in what we talked about. The last part, when I said what I said, was definitely not correct.” Bagnaia further described the broader situation as difficult, explaining that in such moments people can say something unwise or in the wrong way.

In Austria, Bagnaia said he wanted to clarify what he had intended to communicate. “What I wanted to say is that I tried several times to adjust things, but Ducati doesn’t allow it,” he said, before acknowledging that the words that came out of his mouth were wrong. He also said that what followed was damaging for him personally, calling it “a disaster.”

Bagnaia emphasized that the relationship between riders and journalists should be positive, and he framed his own conduct as consistently respectful. “The relationship between riders and journalists should be good. I have always treated you well, I was never angry and I answered all the questions,” he said. He also underlined why media matters to the sport: “I know how important journalists are because they speak to the world for us.”

He added that he had spoken with Ducati management about the situation. Bagnaia’s message to the media was that transparency is essential, even when content is being used for online engagement. “You can take our statements whenever you want and publish them in another context. But you have to be transparent,” he said. He acknowledged that sometimes a strong headline can be important for clicks, and suggested that as a result he might provide less to the media in the future.

Bagnaia said the topic had already been discussed with Ducati on Wednesday. “We talked about it on Wednesday with Ducati,” he reported. He also commented on how the images looked publicly, saying that “what you can see in the pictures looks terrible.” At the same time, he argued that Ducati and others know the full picture because they also have access to his interviews from earlier in the weekend. “They also have the interviews from Friday and Sunday. There I said that Ducati supports me, so they know I’m not crazy,” he said.

He concluded by noting that he had apologized for what he said, and that maintaining a good relationship is important. “Of course I also said ‘sorry’ for the words I said. It’s important for our relationship, because the relationship is good,” Bagnaia added.

On the sporting side, the report noted that Bagnaia’s recent form has been difficult: in the last six MotoGP races he had remained without championship points, meaning Austria offers a chance to turn things around.