BAGNAIA CLAIMS DUCATI WON’T LET HIM TRY THE SET-UP HE WANTS AFTER SAN MARINO

Francesco Bagnaia’s San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Misano brought more frustration for the two-time MotoGP champion, who left the track without points again. After suffering a fourth Q1 exit of the season, he finished 13th in the Sprint and then crashed out of the Grand Prix, extending a run that has seen him fail to score for three consecutive races. The weekend also added to a worrying pattern of retirements, with Bagnaia now recording six DNFs in the last 11 Grands Prix.

In the aftermath, Bagnaia’s frustration spilled into a candid exchange with fellow Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio, who finished seventh. The conversation was captured by TV microphones and later transcribed by Motosprint following Bagnaia’s interview with DAZN. Crash.net also reported on the same DAZN footage, describing it as an exchange between riders on the same Ducati specification. Di Giannantonio pressed Bagnaia on the GP26’s set-up, asking about the “little thing at the back,” and suggested Bagnaia try “a fairly normal set-up” like his own, arguing it could help him improve.

Bagnaia’s reply was the most striking part. “I put on whatever they tell me to use. I’ve already tried everything,” he said. He added that tyre choice has not been delivering the expected changes in feel: “I’ll just tell you that soft or medium makes no difference to me up front. Even a used soft in the morning or a new one for qualifying is the same. It’s as if you pull the clutch as soon as you start braking.” When Di Giannantonio continued, saying his own approach was “really basic,” Bagnaia cut in with a blunt assessment of his situation: “They won’t let me do it.”

Crash.net’s report also notes that it is not clear what set-up work Ducati and Bagnaia have been doing in recent rounds to rectify his troubles. Bagnaia had pointed out at Aragon that he reverted to a set-up he’d used earlier in the season, when he was able to fight for podium finishes. At Misano, he had also described himself as feeling “humiliated” by the situation after the Sprint, before crashing in the race.

The comments underline how far Bagnaia has fallen within Ducati’s current lineup. He is described as the lowest-ranking GP26 rider in the standings and has slipped behind Alex Marquez, even though Marquez missed three rounds through injury. Di Giannantonio, meanwhile, has outscored Bagnaia by 80 points.

Ducati’s response, according to the reporting, is that the team is doing everything possible to restore Bagnaia’s “feeling” on the motorcycle—a problem that has persisted since last year. Ducati boss David Tardozzi noted over the Misano weekend that both parties “still trust in each other,” and that the Italian marque is continuing to work hard to improve Bagnaia’s situation. The reporting also points to Bagnaia’s earlier comments about the wider Ducati picture, including his insistence that Ducati would be capable of a 1-2-3-4 championship run if it were running four GP24s.

Bagnaia also told the written media, including Speedweek, that he sought confirmation from other riders whether his difficulties were unique. “I spoke with other colleagues again today and they confirm what we know,” he said. “The track here has a lot of grip – I just don’t feel any of it.” Crash.net similarly reports that Bagnaia has repeatedly complained about a lack of rear grip that only seems to be affecting him, with the same issue not showing up in the data of other Ducati riders.

With Bagnaia’s struggles continuing to deepen, the reporting frames his Ducati exit as increasingly bleak, while Aprilia will be hoping that a switch of motorcycle—and ruleset—can finally bring back the performance that has defined his best seasons.