Francesco Bagnaia: Eye-Catching Style But Unarmed in the Brake Battle at MotoGP Italy?

Francesco Bagnaia arrived at Mugello as the reigning world champion, the pride of Italy, and the rider Ducati fans expected to dominate on home soil. The opening laps of Sunday’s MotoGP race painted a promising picture. Bagnaia charged aggressively, locking horns in a bar-to-bar duel with his teammate Marc Marquez in what looked like a statement ride. Mugello was roaring with excitement as Bagnaia led the Ducati charge, a perfect script unfolding under the Tuscan sun.

However, the fireworks were short-lived. As the laps wore on, so did Bagnaia’s grip on the podium. The man who once defined precision and control began to lose the very element that made him Ducati’s benchmark rider over the past four years: braking dominance.

The Decisive Blow: Di Giannantonio’s Bold Move

The final, crushing moment came on the penultimate lap, when fellow Ducati GP25 rider Fabio di Giannantonio made a daring move to snatch third place from Bagnaia. It wasn’t just any overtake—it was a bold, calculated assault that left the Italian crowd stunned.

Starting from eighth on the grid, Di Giannantonio tore through the field in what was arguably his finest performance since joining the GP25 project. His eyes were locked on the podium, and Bagnaia, fighting to hold on, became the final hurdle.

“Pecco has a beautiful way of riding the bike. For sure, he has been the benchmark for us in Ducati the last four years,” said Di Giannantonio after the race. “But this year, he is struggling a little bit with the setup of the bike to feel free to do what he wants in the braking zone.”

Those comments were not meant to criticize, but to expose the subtle weakness in Bagnaia’s current form. Di Giannantonio highlighted how Bagnaia’s greatest strength—his braking—has turned into a vulnerability as the GP25 evolves.

Bagnaia’s Braking Problem: A Silent Crisis

Pecco Bagnaia’s brilliance has always been rooted in his ability to brake late, hard, and with surgical precision. But at Mugello, that tool was compromised. On aging tires, particularly in the final laps, the front end of his Ducati began to protest. As the front tire degraded, Bagnaia was left without his signature weapon.

“When he loses the braking, he is a bit like without weapons,” Di Giannantonio observed. “Today, he was suffering a little bit, and I took the opportunity.”

This degradation issue isn’t just about tires—it’s about setup. Ducati’s switch between 340mm and 355mm brake discs to suit different tracks has added another layer of complexity. While the larger discs showed promise at Aragon, the fast, flowing corners at Mugello demanded a return to the standard setup—a change that may have hurt Bagnaia more than expected.

Marc Marquez Reveals Tactical Advantage

No one knows Bagnaia better than his teammate Marc Marquez, and after taking control of the race on lap nine, the eight-time world champion was blunt in his assessment:

“About Pecco, it’s true that he’s trying everything. Maybe even too much. When I was following him, he was pushing the tires a lot. When you’re fighting the bike, you get tired, and the lap times drop.”

Marquez explained that while Bagnaia leaned heavily on aggressive braking, he himself focused on maintaining corner speed—a strategy that paid off as the race wore on. While Pecco’s efforts were heroic in the early laps, they were also unsustainable.

Another Sprint, Another Fade

Saturday’s Sprint race told a similar story. Bagnaia fought hard in the early stages but faded, finishing 2.5 seconds behind Marc Marquez—a mirror of his Sunday result. Over the full race distance, that margin doubled to five seconds, underlining his struggles with tire wear and consistency.

What’s alarming isn’t just that Bagnaia is losing places—it’s who he’s losing them to. Marc and Alex Marquez, along with Di Giannantonio, are now comfortably outperforming the world champion on similar machinery.

Championship Standings Tell a Grim Tale

After Mugello, Pecco Bagnaia now sits a staggering 110 points behind Marc Marquez in the championship. It’s not just about missing the podium—it’s about missing momentum, rhythm, and confidence. Even Alex Marquez, riding for Gresini, is 70 points ahead in the standings.

Bagnaia’s only win this season came at COTA (Circuit of the Americas), and that too after Marc crashed out. That victory, which should have been a turning point, now feels like an anomaly in a season filled with frustration.

A Setup Issue, or a Rider’s Wall?

Is this just a technical setback, or is Bagnaia hitting a psychological wall? Sources within Ducati suggest that Pecco is growing increasingly concerned with how the GP25 behaves over race distance. The factory is working to dial in the setup, but each weekend brings inconsistencies in feel and tire behavior.

In qualifying, Bagnaia still shows flashes of brilliance—he missed pole at Mugello by just 0.059s—but over long runs, the setup doesn’t hold. He can’t ride the bike the way he wants, especially in the final laps when it matters most.

The Ducati Dilemma: Four Top Riders, One Identity Crisis

Ducati is in an enviable yet difficult position. They have the best bike on the grid and multiple title contenders. But when their defending world champion is being overtaken by satellite riders and losing ground in every race, questions must be asked.

Has the GP25 evolved beyond Bagnaia’s riding style? Is the team optimizing the bike for Marc Marquez instead? The answers are murky, but what’s clear is that Bagnaia is no longer the undisputed top Ducati man.

Even more worrying, Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez are now confident enough to overtake him, something that would’ve seemed unthinkable a year ago.

Is There a Way Back for Bagnaia?

Yes—but it requires urgent technical changes and mental reset. Bagnaia must rediscover trust in his braking, and Ducati needs to give him a consistent setup across varying circuits. The team’s engineers are working on adaptations, including returning to the 355mm brakes for upcoming tracks where aggressive braking will be key.

In the meantime, Bagnaia must survive Assen—a track similar in flow to Mugello—where his braking-dependent style could once again be tested. If he fails to adapt there, his title hopes may fade completely.

Final Thoughts: A Champion Under Siege

Pecco Bagnaia’s Mugello disaster wasn’t just a missed podium—it was a symbol of a deeper struggle. From leading Ducati’s charge to becoming a shadow of his former self, Bagnaia’s 2025 season has become a tale of brilliance lost in the fog of technical confusion.

He’s still fast. He’s still a champion. But with Marquez rising, Di Giannantonio surging, and his own form fading, Bagnaia’s empire is under siege.

For now, the Italian hero remains defiant. But in the world of MotoGP, defiance alone doesn’t win titles—results do.