– After Ducati failed to win any of the first three Grands Prix in 2026 and has now been beaten by Aprilia for five race Sundays, Gigi Dall’Igna spoke of a “wake-up call”. The RS-GP is more stable in comparison and has more grip over the long race distance.
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According to the Ducati riders, the Desmosedici “does everything through the rear tire”. Michelin confirmed this impression. Based on the data, rear tire wear is higher for Ducati than for Aprilia.
Before the Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend in Jerez, the Ducati riders again explained in detail where they had problems in the previous three race weekends.
“It is clear from the data,” says Francesco Bagnaia, “that the bike behaves in an unexpected way. The loss of grip at the rear wheel is quite significant in Sunday’s race.”
“That’s strange because on Friday you do many laps on used tires and can maintain a very consistent pace. And then in the race, after eight laps, I destroyed the rear tire,” the ex-world champion recalls about Austin.
Nevertheless, Bagnaia feels that the front wheel sticks better to the asphalt compared to last year and gives him a better feeling. Therefore, he does not want to speak of a major Ducati crisis.
Because: “For me, the only problem is Sunday’s race. On Sunday, something is different – maybe the Pirelli tires [of the smaller classes], I don’t know – and I start to struggle a lot.”
Marc Marquez contradicts his colleagues
When Marc Marquez was asked about Bagnaia’s statements regarding tire wear over race distance, he disagreed: “That’s something all Ducatis struggle with, but I’m the only one who feels better there.”
“But also the other way around: they feel good with the new tire, whereas I feel worse with it. So we need to understand the compromise, different set-ups and different riding styles.”
Two teammates, two different statements. Fabio Di Giannantonio’s assessment will be interesting, as he is now riding the same bike as the factory team for the second season in a row with the VR46 team.
“Since last year, the development direction has gone a bit more in Marc’s direction,” the Italian finds. “Me, ‘Pecco’ and the other Ducati riders are struggling a bit with it now.”
“My way of riding, of entering the corner, is opposite to Marc. I think that if I rode with his set-up, I wouldn’t be competitive. I’m not fast with it, I don’t feel safe on the bike.”
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“Then I don’t have a predictable bike. So we at Ducati definitely need to work on understanding how to proceed, because in the end our bike was always a super, really super, super bike with super performance.”
“And we’ve lost that a bit by changing a few things in our approach to the bike. I think we should go back a bit, a bit in the opposite direction.”
Di Giannantonio: “Working in the opposite direction to Marc”
Regarding confidence in the bike, Di Giannantonio says: “It’s always about the front wheel. Certainly, the bike has improved a bit this year, but we, the team and I, have started to develop in our own way.”
“We decide our own things and go a little in the opposite direction to Marc.” When asked why Marc Marquez isn’t as fast now as last year, “Diggia” replies: “You should ask Marc. I don’t know.”
Comparing to last year, Bagnaia notes that Marc Marquez was “in top form” and therefore “super happy” with the bike. “This year, that doesn’t seem to be the case,” says the Italian. “Our assessments are now more similar.”
“Also Alex’s [assessment], who was very strong last year and is struggling quite a bit this year. So, at the moment, we are all more or less in the same boat. We are working together to improve.”
Alex Marquez hopes for “small adjustments”
Vice World Champion Alex Marquez, like his older brother, has so far been unable to match last year’s performance. The Gresini rider switched from the GP24 to the GP26, thus skipping last year’s model.
“I’m struggling a lot with how to brake, how to decelerate the bike,” Alex Marquez names his main problem. “That’s what I’m missing most. Because we lose a lot in that area of the corner.”
“I think in other areas we are more or less at the same level as last year. With the engine, for example, we are even better, we are faster and have a bit more power.”
“So the only point is really braking and turning in. But I feel that without major changes – just with small adjustments – we can make a really nice, positive step forward.”
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Whether this will succeed at the Grand Prix in Jerez after the three-week break remains to be seen. The subsequent test day on Monday could be crucial for Ducati to find solutions for the further races in Europe.
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