LUIGI DALL’IGNA SAYS DUCATI MUST WORK WITH BAGNAIA FOR EVERYONE’S BENEFIT AFTER ARAGON

Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna said he can only speak “with honesty and seriousness” after Francesco Bagnaia endured a difficult 2026 Aragon Grand Prix at MotorLand Aragon. While Marc Marquez delivered a standout weekend by winning both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, Bagnaia’s race ended with a crash and a low finish, leaving Ducati to process a sharp contrast between its factory riders.

According to the report, Ducati were also surprised by the qualifying pace at Aragon, where Marco Bezzecchi denied Marquez pole—an outcome that mattered because Marquez was only 0.089s slower than the new lap record Bezzecchi set (1:44.962). Bagnaia, by comparison, was much further off, running in P8 and 0.709s behind, after also going through Q1. Dall’Igna pointed to Bagnaia’s body language as an early sign of trouble: the Italian rider’s Friday practice impressions suggested he had “devoid of answers” for his lack of speed. Although he began to improve on Saturday morning, the weekend ultimately failed to deliver the breakthrough Bagnaia needed.

After crashing out of the Grand Prix on Sunday, Bagnaia described his struggles as “humiliating and mortifying,” saying that he and Ducati “simply cannot find a way out of his hole.” He also characterised his current situation as “one of the lowest points” of his entire career. Dall’Igna, meanwhile, framed the situation as something that must be addressed together, stressing that helping Bagnaia regain the performance he “deserves” is important not only for the rider but also for the wider Ducati group.

In comments shared on LinkedIn, Dall’Igna reiterated that the team needs to keep working and committing to a solution. He said: “For Pecco, I know I’m being repetitive, but these are the only concepts that can be stated with honesty and seriousness; we need to keep working and committing together to fix this situation, and get him back to the performance he deserves, for everyone’s benefit, ours and his.”

The report also notes that Dall’Igna wants Bagnaia to be able to perform on the Desmosedici GP26 again before the rider’s move to Aprilia next year. Bagnaia is set to sign a four-year contract with Aprilia from 2027, after Ducati chose to make room for KTM’s Pedro Acosta to become Marquez’s teammate.

The timing of Bagnaia’s switch has fed speculation. The article mentions allegations that Ducati may have been sabotaging Bagnaia, pointing to a drop from four consecutive title fights between 2021 and 2024 to eighth in the 2025 standings on a bike he “never liked.” It also recalls that Bagnaia’s form showed signs of recovery earlier in 2026, when he took four podiums in a row with P3 finishes in Barcelona, Mugello, Hungary and Czechia, before results worsened again, including three retirements and a distant P7 at Aragon after a crash at Silverstone.

With Marquez thriving at Aragon and Bagnaia still searching for answers, Dall’Igna’s message was clear: the priority is to keep pushing the same direction together—aiming to restore Bagnaia’s competitiveness before his Aprilia chapter begins.