BAGNAIA RETIRES FROM PHILLIP ISLAND SPRINT AFTER BIKE ISSUE

Pecco Bagnaia’s difficult Australian Grand Prix weekend continued in the sprint, where a problem on his Ducati forced him to retire after just two laps. He had slipped to the back of the field before returning to pit lane. The double world champion offered little detail about the fault, saying: “Unfortunately, I had a small problem and had to retire; these things can happen.”

In Ducati’s post-race account, Bagnaia said the issue appeared early and grew more serious as the race went on. “I had a good start in the sprint, but then I began experiencing a small issue that got worse corner after corner, preventing me from continuing the race,” he said. He did not identify the cause.

The retirement capped two difficult days at Phillip Island. Bagnaia missed the top 10 in Friday practice, then qualified 16th after a damp, mixed-conditions session. He also criticised the team’s approach to Q1, where he stayed on one set of wet tyres while the riders ahead used two. Bagnaia said Ducati had “got the strategy wrong by choosing the wrong tyre”.

He acknowledged that the conditions were hard to judge, particularly for the first riders on track, but felt the decision had cost him a better starting position. “I don't know whether I would have made it into Q2, I think I would have,” he said, while adding that a stronger qualifying result would not have changed what happened in the sprint.

With the main race still to come, Bagnaia said the team had to look ahead. “It's a pity, but we have to focus on tomorrow's race, which is going to be a long one. The realistic goal is to finish in the top 10.”