BAGNAIA EASES HIS CRITICISM OF DUCATI AFTER GRASSILLI’S PRIVATE REACTION

Francesco Bagnaia has reportedly softened his public criticism of Ducati after seeing how Mauro Grassilli reacted privately to comments Bagnaia made about the team. The two-time world champion’s struggles with Ducati over the past 18 months have left many in the paddock puzzled, including people who work with him every weekend, with questions ranging from the rideability of Ducati’s newer direction to whether there is a broader mental factor affecting his performances.

Bagnaia’s more outspoken phase came to a head when his frustrations put him at odds with one of Ducati’s most influential figures. Sporting Director Mauro Grassilli “took certain statements from Pecco in 2025 worse than others,” according to Ducati’s Davide Tardozzi, speaking via La Gazzetta dello Sport. The report says that after Grassilli’s private reaction, Bagnaia “relaxed” his tone toward the bike and the team.

The saga has included moments that made the situation harder to understand. Bagnaia’s “perfect weekend” at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix—at Motegi—was widely viewed as a turning point, and it also fed speculation that Ducati’s 2025 development priorities may have been skewed. Reports suggested Bagnaia’s machine at Motegi was closer to a GP24 than a GP25, and his ability to return to form that weekend fueled rumours that Ducati had been focusing more on Marc Marquez during the run-up to the 2025-spec bike.

Those questions intensified after Bagnaia failed to score in the five races that followed that period, compounding his frustration. More recently, the report points to another difficult stretch: after a second consecutive scoreless race weekend at Aragon, Bagnaia “re-lit the fire” within the team by describing his lack of pace as “humiliating and mortifying.”

The same weekend also highlighted the day-to-day tension around results. After failing to secure a spot in Q2 during Friday’s pre-qualifying session, Bagnaia was seen leaving his garage as soon as he returned at the end of the hour, without even looking at one of his mechanics. Adding to the pressure, his crew were reportedly “buzzing” with Pedro Acosta’s P2 finish ahead of Acosta’s move to Ducati for the 2027 seat Bagnaia currently occupies.