Francesco Bagnaia denies dispute with Ducati over setup

– Francesco Bagnaia travels to the Austrian Grand Prix with significant need for discussion. After a difficult Misano weekend, where the Ducati rider scored no points, his main focus at the Red Bull Ring is above all: regaining trust in his own Ducati.

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At the same time, Bagnaia speaks extensively about a dispute over statements taken out of context that caused quite a stir online. Specifically, it concerns a scene with Ducati teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio from Misano.

Both are talking in the media area about Bagnaia’s ongoing difficulties with the Ducati GP26. Di Giannantonio brings up the possibility of reverting to a simpler standard setup. Bagnaia responds roughly: “They don’t let me do that.”

This exact sentence was caught by TV cameras and then spread. Media reports interpreted it as an indication that Ducati denies Bagnaia certain freedoms in tuning his bike.

Bagnaia defends himself against accusations after Misano

Bagnaia now defends himself about a week later in Austria: “What was said was completely taken out of context.” The recording only showed part of the conversation. It was about a technical or riding approach that he had already pursued several times.

“What I meant by that is that I have tried many times to add and remove things that Ducati no longer lets me do, but only because I have already done that many times and do not want to continue.”

According to Bagnaia, he did not want to give the impression that Ducati fundamentally does not support him. On the contrary: he has always emphasized that Ducati supports him and “does everything to help me.” His statements rather arose from a private conversation about certain processes and situations within the team.

At the same time, Bagnaia admits that his choice of words was not appropriate. “The last word I said was certainly not the right one,” said the Italian.

Frustration can break out in anyone at some point. What is decisive for him, however, is that a false impression arose from the few published words. His relationship with Ducati does not change because of this.

Even after the incident, the relationship with the manufacturer is good, emphasizes Bagnaia. He apologized for his choice of words but at the same time pointed out that the public portrayal of the scene was disrespectful from his point of view.

“Diggia” sees publication as problematic

That it was actually a normal exchange between riders from the participants’ point of view is also confirmed by Di Giannantonio. The VR46 rider does not want to comment further on the specific story because it is “not my story.” But he makes it clear that the two Italians have known each other for many years not only as brand colleagues and regularly talk about motorcycles.

“So it was a completely normal conversation for us,” explains Di Giannantonio. For this reason, he finds the publication problematic. The conversation actually took place off-camera but was still recorded.

“I find that somewhat unfair in this respect because it was not me but another rider who spoke about personal things. Sometimes it would be better to respect that and not just aim to generate more clicks,” he criticizes and calls for more “sensitivity to the boundaries of the sport.”

Di Giannantonio draws a comparison to a conversation in a pub: when he talks about motorcycles there with others, he does not have to constantly think about whether a journalist with a microphone is standing somewhere. “And that was exactly the kind of friendly exchange we had between us.”

The VR46 rider sees this not only as a problem for the involved riders but for the sport as a whole. “I think this is also something we can improve as a sport because honestly, it is not nice for the sport,” he says. His wish is ultimately for more mutual respect between riders and media.

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Consequence: More caution towards media

In this context, Bagnaia also formulates clear criticism of how statements from MotoGP riders are handled. He sees a fundamental problem in that short passages from interviews or conversations can be taken out.

“You can take our words and place them online however you want,” says the Ducati rider. Three words can already create two completely different contexts depending on how they are presented. “And I know that sometimes a good clickbait headline is important because that’s how it works.”

For him, however, this has consequences. He usually tries to be as open as possible with the media. “But I will try to say less. Maybe you will get less from me in the future,” Bagnaia announces.

He explicitly emphasizes that he generally values a good relationship with journalists. Riders and media depend on each other because journalists are the ones who bring their statements to the public in the first place. “I have always been very friendly to you, I was never rude,” says Bagnaia. That is why he finds the specific situation particularly disappointing.

At the same time, the Italian makes it clear that his criticism is not generally directed against television and journalists. It is about the specific way the scene was published. It was captured and first spread by DAZN Spain. From there, it spread rapidly.

Bagnaia responds to advice from Pedrosa

Sportingly, Bagnaia is meanwhile trying to pursue a different approach. Dani Pedrosa had suggested after the difficult Misano weekend that the Ducati rider should temporarily focus less on results. Pedrosa argued that Bagnaia first needs to rebuild his riding feeling and confidence instead of constantly thinking about Q2, starting positions, or podiums.

Photo gallery: The career highlights of Francesco Bagnaia

Bagnaia basically agrees with this approach: “Honestly, I am trying exactly that, and this weekend I will try even more.” He wants to go on track with a clear head and initially focus on riding.

“I just want to try to enjoy riding, develop my speed further, and improve my feeling for the bike,” explains the Ducati rider. Round by round, something might change as a result.

Bagnaia does not hide how difficult the current situation is for him: “At the moment, I simply have problems riding the bike.” Therefore, the first step is not necessarily a specific result but rediscovering a positive feeling on the Desmosedici.

“The first step is to enjoy riding again, and then we try to rebuild the speed,” he summarizes the approach.

Body still needs time after surgery

Asked about the timing between his difficulties and an operation on his right forearm during the MotoGP summer break, Bagnaia said he hopes the two are not connected.

The operation was the right decision from his point of view, and he now has significantly more strength again. However, there are still complaints that become noticeable when riding. His body simply needs a bit more time to fully recover after the procedure.

“I just have to wait. Everyone needs their time to recover, and in this case, my body needs more time,” explains Bagnaia and emphasizes at the same time: “But that is my business, and it had no impact in Misano.”

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