Another challenging weekend for our Pecco Bagnaia due to an unmanageable front end that prevented him from braking and turning the bike as he wanted. He finished nineteenth in the sprint and, while fighting for a top-ten spot in the race, crashed in the closing laps.
2025 is to Pecco Bagnaia what the year of the snake is to the zodiac, or what Ducati is to Japan… A demanding, exhausting, demotivating, disorienting year. Pecco has never stopped trying, believing, and working hard. Up to Brno he had collected 213 points, but only 61 since the Austrian GP. A total lack of feeling with his GP25 — braking issues, corner-entry problems, stability troubles, and perhaps much more. In this nineteenth round, our Suomy Rider managed to set the eleventh fastest time in Q2, but then finished 19th in the Sprint and crashed during the final laps of Sunday’s race.
SPRINT RACE
“During the Warm Up we made some tests that turned out to be quite a disaster. It was impossible to ride… We went in the opposite direction and it was definitely positive because at least I could push a bit more. I was really at the limit; unfortunately, I can’t brake or enter corners the way I want, and that makes life much more complicated.”
Somewhere between frustrated, thoughtful, and concerned, Pecco tried to explain what went wrong again in this Australian round. The situation had already appeared tricky during practice, even though our rider managed to post an excellent ninth time despite almost completely losing front-end grip at Turn 9 during his second time attack attempt in Q2. However, everything changed during the Sprint Race. The feeling he seemed to have regained during Q1 and Q2 disappeared, leaving him far behind and struggling, ending up 19th.
RACE
“It went better than yesterday; the bike was more stable, although harder to ride. When you’re really on the limit — maybe too much, to be honest — it’s easy to crash. I have to accept it because I didn’t want to finish last again, and when you push as hard as I did today, crashing can happen. The top 10 was possible, so I kept pushing. I’d much rather crash fighting for points than when I’m last.”
Pecco’s Australian Sunday can be filed under “no comment,” even though our Suomy rider once again showed his determination to give it everything preferring a DNF over an unhappy finish. On lap 24, while trying not to lose his top-ten position and climbing from twelfth place, Pecco crashed in the second sector, ending his race and losing third place in the overall standings.
“We’re analysing the data to understand what happened. I tried to push, but I was really on the limit, and it was a strange feeling, very similar to the one I had in Indonesia. We’re working hard, but we haven’t been able to find a solution so far. I was feeling quite good yesterday, but from qualifying onwards the feeling changed. I struggled in the Sprint and couldn’t match the pace shown in previous sessions. Now we’ll keep working for the race.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Sprint Race 19°
“After yesterday’s Sprint, I promised myself I wouldn’t finish the race at the back of the field, as it wouldn’t have been an acceptable result. Following the warm up, we understood which direction to take and after a few laps I started to feel better on the bike, which was moving a lot less. This allowed me to be a bit more aggressive. I pushed hard and made my way back to the group fighting for the top positions, with a chance to finish in the top seven, but unfortunately I crashed. When you’re at the limit, these things can happen.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Race DNF
World Standings P. 4
Next Round:
MALAYSIAN GP
Sepang International Circuit
October 24-26th
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #SuomyCrew during the weekend in Australia.
