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Francesco Bagnaia says he’s “not that apprehensive” about his lack of leads to MotoGP regardless of making a lacklustre begin to the 2026 season in Thailand.
The manufacturing facility Ducati arrived at Buriram eager to bounce again from a wretched 2025 marketing campaign wherein he scored two grands prix wins however largely struggled to match his championship-winning team-mate Marc Marquez.
Pre-season testing all however confirmed that he had put his 2025 struggles behind, as he instantly discovered the GP26 comfy to trip, with the lap occasions displaying his rising confidence on the bike.
Nonetheless, the Italian by no means appeared to discover a rhythm throughout the Buriram weekend, with a spate of errors late in qualifying leaving him thirteenth on the grid.
Whereas he salvaged a degree within the dash, he did not make any inroads in Sunday’s race after leaping to ninth initially. Solely late retirements for Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez and Joan Mir helped him stay inside the highest 10.
Explaining his newest troubles, the three-time world champion mentioned: “I used to be managing the tyres lots. I by no means pushed, as a result of I couldn’t push, simply to manage the rear tyre.
“With eight laps to go, I began to spin until fifth gear on the straight. It was very unusual, and I misplaced different positions. It was inconceivable to stay at a continuing tempo, even when I used to be controlling lots initially.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Workforce
Photograph by: Gold and Goose Pictures / LAT Pictures / through Getty Pictures
The Thailand Grand Prix befell in unusually scorching circumstances, with monitor temperature reaching 58C throughout the race. Michelin additionally introduced a particular tyre carcass for Buriram, which Bagnaia’s team-mate Marc Marquez reckoned was partly answerable for Marco Bezzecchi’s dominant efficiency on the Aprilia.
Ducati’s relative lack of competitiveness at Buriram solely compounded Bagnaia’s difficulties, with the Italian starting the brand new season nonetheless carrying the load of a depressing finish to 2025, when he failed to complete the ultimate 5 races.
However Bagnaia doesn’t see his ninth-place end in Thailand as a explanation for concern, as an alternative suggesting that he has discovered a place to begin he can construct on.
“I believe ending the season as I completed final 12 months was vital to restart and to start out constructing the pace once more,” he mentioned. “I am not that apprehensive about my outcome. It is true that it isn’t a place I need to end, but it surely’s a degree of begin.
“Then it is true that I by no means felt good throughout the race weekend. FP1 was one of the best session I had. From FP2 until the race, I began to battle rather a lot.
“It was utterly reverse in comparison with the check. Within the check, I used to be feeling implausible, I used to be in a position to push nicely, I used to be in a position to management the tyres lots. Then, for some cause, I began to battle lots throughout the [race] weekend.
“We simply want to enhance, as a result of proper now we aren’t anymore the quickest.”
Whereas Bagnaia additionally confronted some points at Buriram final 12 months, he was nonetheless in a position to declare a podium end in third behind the Marquez brothers.
Requested what was totally different this time, he mentioned: “Others made an enchancment and we made a step again. So we have to perceive why.”
Pressed additional as to the place he slipped backwards, he mentioned: “Controlling the tyre. As a result of our bike is popping a bit much less. Within the check, no, however on the race weekend, the bike was turning a bit much less. It was very troublesome to handle the rear tyre with the throttle.”
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