New Ducati GP25 a “huge” step forward from 2024 MotoGP bike
Francesco Bagnaia has said he can already notice a “huge” difference between Ducati’s new MotoGP prototype and the outgoing GP24 bike with which he took 11 grand prix wins this year. The two-time MotoGP champion got his first opportunity to sample an early version of the GP25 that he will be racing in 2025 when he […]
I will learn to finish fifth instead of crashing after MotoGP title defeat
Francesco Bagnaia says he will learn that it’s better to accept defeat than go over the limit and crash, as he seeks to retake the MotoGP title in 2025. Despite winning 11 of the 20 grands prix this year, plus seven additional victories in sprints, factory Ducati rider Bagnaia lost out on this year’s championship […]
Bagnaia knew his title chances were slim after Malaysia blunder
Francesco Bagnaia says he was aware it was going to be a tough task to win the 2024 MotoGP title after he crashed out of the sprint race for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia was running second behind Pramac rival Jorge Martin in the short-distance race at Sepang when he dumped his […]
How Bagnaia’s task in Barcelona compares to Lorenzo, Hayden turnarounds
Francesco Bagnaia needs more than a victory to come away from the Barcelona Grand Prix as a three-time MotoGP champion. Only some misfortune on Jorge Martin’s part could swing the title battle in his favour in the final round of the season. The factory Ducati rider rode admirably on Saturday to clinch victory in the […]
You will have to shoot Martin for him to finish worse than fourth
Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi joked that someone would have to shoot Pramac rider Jorge Martin for him to finish lower than fourth in Sunday’s MotoGP finale in Barcelona. Martin is on the verge of winning the 2024 MotoGP title in his final race appearance on a Ducati, despite factory rider Francesco Bagnaia comprehensively outperforming […]
Bagnaia’s mistake or Martin’s success?
Last Saturday, after crashing out on the third lap of the sprint race at Sepang while fighting his rival for the win and the championship crown, Francesco Bagnaia was both hurt and bewildered. The reigning world champion was unable to find a rational explanation for the five zeroes he has accumulated so far in the […]
Why would we need to be enemies off the track?
Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin feel there is no reason why they should be “enemies outside the track” as they fight for the 2024 MotoGP title. For a second season in a row, Bagnaia and Martin have been in a class of their own in MotoGP, with their championship battle set to culminate in next […]
Should MotoGP reconsider its emphasis on sprint races?
«When you win 10 grands prix and you are still 24 points behind, something is wrong.» Complaints about a format by a competitor who has failed to master that format must always be read with due caution. They are to be expected. But Francesco Bagnaia may just have a point when it comes to the […]
Bagnaia says “anything can happen at Barcelona” despite slim title hopes
Francesco Bagnaia believes the switch of venue from Valencia to Barcelona offers him an extra glimmer of hope in his unlikely bid to overhaul Jorge Martin in the points race at the last round. Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia closed the gap to Martin to 24 points with a win in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, keeping […]