– Francesco Bagnaia has already won his home race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli twice: in 2021 and 2022. He also stood on the podium three more times: third in 2023, second in 2020 and 2024. Since he often trains with the Ducati Panigale in Misano, he knows this track well and knows how to ride fast here.
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After disappointing race weekends in Silverstone and Aragon, the Ducati rider hoped that things would turn around at home, but that did not happen. Bagnaia finished Friday practice in 19th place.
“The situation and the problems are similar to those that have existed since the beginning of the year, but at the moment multiplied by ten. For three races I haven’t been able to ride, I really can’t do anything. If I try to give a little more, I crash.”
These problems since Silverstone puzzle not only Bagnaia but also the Ducati team. Although the data shows what is not working, the engineers cannot find a solution.
Bagnaia describes: “The difference between me and all the other Ducatis is clearly visible in the data. I brake much harder than the others, but the motorcycle does not decelerate.”
“I really pay a lot of attention to controlling the acceleration with the throttle, but still I am the one who accelerates the least. My motorcycle behaves very strangely.”
“The team also does not understand at all why. We are therefore in a very difficult situation.” On Friday afternoon, Valentino Rossi also arrived at the track and watched the practice from the sidelines.
Rossi’s impressions confirm Bagnaia’s problems
Rossi’s impressions on Sky Italy confirm: “I see that he is having quite big difficulties. He cannot ride well. At the beginning of the session he gets going quite well, but then it seems to me that the rear wheel slips a lot under braking.”
“It seems as if the engine braking setting and the electronics are not quite properly tuned. When you have such difficulties, of course he tries everything possible together with his team, so they also try other things. But today I saw him a bit in trouble.”
Various setups were actually tried, but nothing solved the problems. Comparisons with the other Ducati riders also brought no solution, only more question marks.
“I have no other setup. Mine and Marc’s are the same, Alex Marquez’s will be different. I also tried Alex’s setup, Marc’s setup, Marc’s electronics, Alex’s electronics.”
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“But it’s always the same. Since Silverstone the motorcycle just does strange things. We have to understand why, but we can’t figure out why.”
“I ride the motorcycle very defensively because I crash as soon as I try to do a little more. Honestly: crashing in every corner is not the way I want to find a solution for this situation.”
Comparison with Alex Marquez raises question marks
Especially the comparison with Alex Marquez makes Bagnaia suspicious: “Alex differs from me the most because he uses less brake pressure. Still, he decelerates much more.”
“I use about double the brake pressure, but the motorcycle does not slow down. In the last three races, I am the one who decelerates the least of all Ducatis, but I brake with the most pressure and force.”
“And still I can’t get the motorcycle to stop. I am also the one who uses the throttle to best control acceleration, but I accelerate the least.”
Bagnaia also experimented with his body position, but that also brought no solution. According to his own statement, he crashed almost seven times in Friday practice, even in slow corners.
“Maybe we are overlooking something somewhere that is hiding quite well,” the Italian puzzles, but his team also seems to be at the end of their rope. “At the moment it is also difficult for the team.”
“I ask that it thinks outside the box of the solutions we have already tried. The problem has been the same since the start of the season. However, it has become significantly worse in the last three Grands Prix.”
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“I am riding here on a track that I know extremely well, and honestly I don’t remember ever being in such a situation, even in the worst case I was still fast. That’s why it is very difficult for both me and the team.”
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