QUARTARARO SAYS BAGNAIA HAS REASON TO BE ANGRY AS MARQUEZ DOMINATES DUCATI

Fabio Quartararo has defended Francesco Bagnaia’s reaction to his situation at Ducati, arguing that the Italian would be right to feel frustrated if he’s being outperformed despite the team’s efforts. The comments come as Ducati’s 2026 form has been dominated by Marc Marquez, who has been able to fight for the title even after missing multiple rounds, while Bagnaia continues to struggle to match the pace.

The latest flashpoint began at Misano, where TV microphones captured Bagnaia telling his stablemate Fabio Di Giannantonio that Ducati were not accommodating his setup requests. Bagnaia then hit out at the press for publishing what he described as an off-the-record admission to another rider. That episode quickly became a talking point in the paddock, and Quartararo was asked for his view during media duties ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Asked whether he had seen the footage, Quartararo said he hadn’t, explaining that when he is at home he avoids anything related to motorcycles. He added that if he ever had to share something personal, he wouldn’t tell other riders but would speak to a member of his staff.

When further questioned about whether Bagnaia’s difficulties at Borgo Panigale resemble Quartararo’s own experience at Yamaha, the Frenchman rejected the comparison. “My case and Pecco’s are not similar, because Marquez is winning,” he said. Quartararo then framed it in terms of what it would feel like to be in Bagnaia’s position: “If Alex [Rins], Jack [Miller], or Toprak [Razgatlioglu] were winning, that would put me in a bad position. If I were in Pecco’s place, and Marquez was beating me, I’d be furious and trying to understand why this is happening.”

Behind the scenes, Ducati staff have acknowledged that they have not yet found the root cause of Bagnaia’s lack of pace on the GP26, even while insisting that his struggles are not being ignored by the engineers. According to the report, Bagnaia has also been trying “irrational things” in an attempt to improve the overall rideability of the bike this year, but without the desired results.

With the Red Bull Ring next on the calendar, Bagnaia may at least draw some confidence from past success: he is a three-time Grand Prix winner at Spielberg and is currently the most successful rider on the grid at that circuit.