Bagnaia's Aragon struggles continue
Ducati's Pecco Bagnaia says he has struggled with basic riding since Silverstone, finishing Friday at Aragon 13th while battling a lack of rear grip.
Pecco Bagnaia finished Friday practice for the Aragon MotoGP in 13th place. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider says a critical lack of feeling has plagued him since the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
A "frustrated and nervous" Bagnaia needed time to calm down before his team debrief. He explained he had to "breathe a bit" to avoid saying things he didn't mean and compromising the team's work. This came after an afternoon where four other Ducati riders finished inside the top five, while he was sent into Saturday's Qualifying 1.
"I wasn’t expecting this performance, I was expecting to be much faster," Bagnaia told Crash.net. "But unluckily, difficult."
A Loss of Feeling
The reigning world champion pinpointed Silverstone as the start of his troubles. He felt improvements at the Sachsenring, but his confidence vanished at the British round. "Since Silverstone I don’t feel good on the bike and I struggle to do normal things," he stated.
His issues are comprehensive. Bagnaia outlined problems with braking, corner entry, and rear grip. "So, mostly everything," he admitted. The specific rear grip problem is severe. He loses the rear on corner entry without provocation. Applying the slightest throttle, just 10-15%, causes the bike to spin. The movement continues until the bike is fully upright.
"Today I risked crashing many times going very slow," Bagnaia revealed. A final push to crack the top ten ended when he went wide in the last corner.
Team Data and a Glimmer of Hope
Despite his personal struggles, Bagnaia highlighted a key asset within the Ducati garage. He credited test rider and wildcard Alex Marquez for providing crucial direction. "Luckily, like always, Alex Marquez is making the difference in many aspects. I really hope to find a way to follow what he’s doing," Bagnaia said.
He maintains faith in his team's ability to find a solution. After composing himself, he held a long debrief to analyze the data. "Luckily, the team is working well and they have a good idea on the table which I really hope will work," he concluded. The Aragon circuit surface itself, he noted, offered more consistent grip than other tracks. The problem resides solely with the feeling from his own machine.
Bagnaia's position contrasts sharply with that of his new teammate, Marc Marquez, who was competitive at the front of the field. The Italian now faces the task of fighting through Qualifying 1 to secure a decent grid spot for Sunday's race.
