A SHOW OF CHARACTER AND UPS AND DOWNS IN A CHALLENGING WEEKEND…
The Spanish Grand Prix, the fourth round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, delivered an action-packed weekend full of emotions and extreme weather variables. For Francesco Bagnaia, official rider of the Ducati Lenovo Team, it was a weekend marked by highs and lows, yet once again defined by his determination and ability to compete at the highest level. In Moto2, our Iván Ortolá, who started from fifteenth on the grid, finished just on the edge of the points zone, in tenth position.
A crazy weekend in every sense: weather conditions, crashes, overtakes, comebacks, unexpected events.
It all began with the free practice sessions and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, which took place under changing track conditions that proved challenging for all riders. Although he was not among the absolute frontrunners in the first timed sessions, Bagnaia showed a consistent and competitive pace, managing grip changes extremely well and proving once again his ability to handle unpredictable conditions and shifting levels of traction. Qualifying took place on a track made difficult by light rain, forcing the team to find compromises in mapping settings and tyre choice, with Bagnaia still managing to secure tenth position on the grid. Everything changed during the Sprint, where he climbed onto the second step of the podium. In Sunday’s race, however, luck stopped smiling on our Suomy Rider, who was forced to retire on lap 13 due to a major issue with the front end.
SPRINT RACE
Saturday afternoon’s Sprint Race delivered thrilling entertainment for the fans, but also required a huge mental and physical effort from the riders. The short race was marked by sudden downpours and crashes involving several key contenders. In such difficult conditions, Bagnaia showed great clarity and courage, managing the race with outstanding intelligence. After a complex first part of the race, Bagnaia was among the first to return to the pit lane, which allowed him to recover sixteen positions in the space of one lap, in one of the most chaotic Sprints of the season. This result confirmed his speed even when the weather creates unpredictable scenarios and ensured he was still able to take home valuable points.
RACE
A completely different story: Sunday’s race took place under full sunshine and on a dry track. Only a few hours had passed since the Sprint, but everything had changed: temperatures, grip, asphalt conditions and humidity. The full-length race developed at an extremely high pace, with intense battles among the leading positions. Unfortunately, halfway through the race, Bagnaia had to deal with a technical issue that compromised the performance of his Ducati. Gradually reducing his pace due to a problem with the front end, he was forced to return to the pits and retire after lap 13. During the press conference, Bagnaia clearly explained how the issue evolved: “It became very difficult to slow down and manage the front end, so I decided to stop in order to protect the bike and prepare as best as possible for the next races.”
The Jerez weekend therefore ends with a fairly positive overall balance: an important Sprint Race podium that proves competitiveness and courage. Unfortunately, the retirement in the main race leaves a bitter taste after a good start.
At the end of the fourth Grand Prix of the season, Francesco Bagnaia is ninth in the standings, 23 points behind his teammate.
“I didn’t have a good start, but I still tried to follow the riders ahead of me. Then it started to drizzle and I couldn’t push, I was struggling with grip. At one point I hoped the rain would increase and I stayed ready: I should probably have come in one lap earlier to allow the tyre to get up to temperature, but in the end it still went well. I tried to stay close to Marc when he overtook me, but when I realised I didn’t have the same level of confidence in the wet, I preferred to bring home second place. I noticed a few things during this Sprint that we can work on for tomorrow’s race.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Sprint Race 2°
“Yesterday we were lucky, today unfortunately not. I didn’t have a great start, but I tried to recover some positions and I was lapping with a good pace, not podium pace but top 7 pace. I tried to copy the riding style of Enea (Bastianini) and Ogura, who were ahead of me, and the rhythm was similar. Unfortunately, right from the beginning of the race I wasn’t comfortable with a detail of the bike. Lap after lap the situation got worse until I had to come back to the pits because I couldn’t stop it. I don’t think it’s an issue that will happen again in the future. Tomorrow we will work to try to get closer to Alex’s (Márquez) pace and test the material we will have available.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Race DNF
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #SuomyCrew during the weekend in Jerez.
