Pecco Bagnaia Falls Before Ducati’s DNA: The Italian Rider Must Change Himself

Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia has now stood on the MotoGP podium for back-to-back weekends, including a hard-earned third place at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. But behind the smile and celebration, the reigning world champion revealed a more troubling reality: he’s still not in full control of Ducati’s new GP24 — and the clock is ticking.

Despite clocking the fastest lap of the race, Bagnaia’s position at the checkered flag didn’t change. Third place has become his ceiling, not the foundation of dominance he once built his championship runs on.

“For the first time with this one I had the feeling of having the best pace during the weekend, but I finished the race in the same position as always,” Bagnaia admitted in a moment of raw honesty.

A Machine Too Complex? Pecco’s Internal Battle

Pecco’s post-race comments reflect more than dissatisfaction. They reveal a fundamental struggle with the very DNA of the GP24.

“Marc [Marquez] is doing a fantastic job on his bike and I am struggling to find my balance knowing well how last year’s bike behaved,” he confessed.

Bagnaia isn’t just fighting rivals on track — he’s fighting Ducati’s evolving engineering philosophy. And in 2025, that evolution may be outpacing the rider himself.

Rather than demand radical bike changes, Pecco is trying to adapt his riding style — a rare approach for a reigning champion.

“I’m trying to change my approach and not too much the bike, otherwise it becomes easy to make mistakes,” he explained. “It’s getting better and better, and I hope to finally feel good within the next two or three GPs.”

Marc Marquez: Advantage GP23?

A key point of contrast is Marc Marquez, who opted not to switch to the GP24 this season. And Bagnaia openly acknowledged the advantage that decision may have given the Spaniard.

“Yes,” Bagnaia said when asked if Marquez benefitted from sticking with the previous model.

Despite this, Pecco isn’t discouraged. In fact, he believes the championship picture remains wide open.

“We are not far and we are getting closer. This season [Marc] has been competitive on tracks where he usually struggled… I will try to be competitive, usually in Germany I am.”

The upcoming German GP at Sachsenring will be a critical test — not just of Bagnaia’s speed, but his ability to adapt to a bike that seems to resist him at every turn.

Struggling with Braking, Entry, and Understeer

At Assen, Bagnaia outlined specific areas where the GP24 continues to challenge him.

“With this bike I struggle with corner entry by braking, and this circuit is all like that,” he said. “I can’t stop the bike how and where I want, I have to let it enter the corner. So I’m always a little wide and I’m not in the best spot when I have to accelerate.”

That kind of loss of control in racing is devastating — especially in the central part of the race, where Pecco says he loses time before regaining speed late. He’s even noted how understeer appears when following other riders, making overtaking exponentially harder.

“As soon as I get close, I feel movement in the front, wheel lock, understeer,” he explained.

Even when the bike is capable of fastest laps — as it was in Assen — the lack of consistent feel and stability keeps him from executing a complete race.

A Slow Return to Confidence

Following races where he felt lost — particularly at Le Mans and Silverstone — Bagnaia is slowly regaining rhythm.

“This weekend was the best of the season, I was able to push hard, keep a good pace, the confidence is improving,” he said. But even that progress is tempered by his deeper concern: “It’s hard to change the DNA of a bike.”

Moto3 Red Flag Controversy: Pecco Weighs In

Beyond his own race, Bagnaia criticized race officials for their handling of a Moto3 crash involving Lunetta, where the red flag was only shown after riders returned to the danger zone.

“When a rider is down after a bad crash, he doesn’t get up and the marshals are around him, you have to show the red flag as soon as possible,” Pecco said bluntly. “From the outside, it was easy to see what was happening and give the red flag… I don’t understand why they allowed the riders to keep going until they got to that corner.”

His comments show a rider who isn’t afraid to speak up — not only about his own performance but about safety and race integrity across the paddock.

Racing History: Pecco’s Dream Machine

Despite the tension of race day, Bagnaia ended on a light-hearted note. When asked about the historic bikes parade, he shared his desire to try some classic machines.

“The Cagiva 500 is one of the most beautiful bikes ever built. I’d also like to try, on the old Assen, Alex Barros’ Honda 500… maybe against the MotoGP bikes,” he said, laughing.

It was a glimpse of the pure racer inside — the one that exists beyond lap times, aero packages, and telemetry sheets.

Final Thoughts: Bagnaia vs. Himself

Pecco Bagnaia is a champion — but at Assen, and throughout this season, his greatest opponent hasn’t been Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin, or Enea Bastianini. It’s been the GP24, and the challenge of recalibrating himself to a machine that refuses to behave.

He’s not quitting. He’s not crumbling. But as Bagnaia himself said:

“We are improving turn by turn, but after 10 Grands Prix, we are still at this point.”

The summer stretch of the MotoGP calendar is unforgiving. Pecco’s campaign to defend his title will depend on one thing: whether he can stop fighting the bike and start racing it.