Bagnaia Vows to Rebound After Disappointing MotoGP Campaign

Francesco Bagnaia has expressed his determination to overcome a challenging MotoGP season, marked by a series of setbacks and diminished performance. Following a premature exit from the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix, the two-time MotoGP champion conveyed his resolve to revitalize his partnership with Ducati and return to competitive form.

Bagnaia’s Valencia race concluded abruptly on the fourth corner when an aggressive maneuver by LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco propelled him into the gravel. This incident marked Bagnaia’s fifth consecutive retirement, a stark contrast to his dominant victory from pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix in September.

The 2025 season proved arduous for Bagnaia, particularly with the GP25, a machine he struggled to adapt to his riding style. While the initial half of the season saw sporadic podium finishes, his performance declined significantly after the summer break, resulting in frequent struggles to advance beyond Q1 in qualifying and a general decline in race-day results.

This late-season slump cost Bagnaia his third-place position in the championship standings, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and KTM’s Pedro Acosta surpassing him. Despite the disappointing end to the Valencia race, Bagnaia refrained from blaming Zarco for the collision. Zarco was handed a long lap penalty.

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Looking ahead, Bagnaia has pinned his hopes on the Valencia test as a potential turning point before the winter break. "One of the hardest [seasons] and maybe the worst season I had – mostly the last part," he reflected, encapsulating his challenging campaign.

"There is not much more to say about it. I said enough during the season. Now, I’m just looking forward to riding the bike in the test, hoping that we will find a solution. I’m a dreamer, so I’m still thinking and believing it will be possible, and see if we can start with a good pace for the test in February."

Bagnaia’s early exit in Valencia was a stark reminder of the difficulties he faced throughout the season. After being forced into the gravel by Johann Zarco, he walked back to the paddock without any assistance. "Surely, after this season, I just would have liked to enjoy, to have fun during the race," he said. "For three corners, I had fun. And I think the possibility of a good race was there. To finish in the top seven, top six was possible, considering the feeling, and the fact that I was with the medium [tyre] and the big fuel tank."

Bagnaia’s struggles in Valencia were evident from the outset, as he failed to secure a direct spot in Q2 on Friday. Fuel miscalculations in qualifying further compounded his challenges, relegating him to 16th on the grid. In the sprint race, he could only manage a 14th-place finish. Although he had a promising start in the grand prix, the incident brought his race to an abrupt end.

Bagnaia attributed his misfortunes to a sense of "attracting negativity," with one setback seemingly triggering another during the final races of 2025. "Crashing today, having an issue yesterday [Saturday], having an issue on a Friday morning," he summarized. "Negativity is never the key, and when you start to have negative thinking, you attract it. I attract negative feelings, and it’s what happened to us, I think."

He further elaborated on the toll the season took on both himself and his team. "Everybody was tired, and the season was quite tough for everybody – it was long. And if you’re enjoying during the season, even if it’s long, you arrive in a quite easy way in the last part. In our situation, we were reaching top three in the championship, and then not reaching [this target]. I was aiming for the top two, one or two, in the championship, and then what happened happened."

"Also, the team started to be tired, like me, and it’s difficult to work in that situation. I made many mistakes, like yesterday in qualifying for not being able to already be fast in the first attempt, and the team also did one [fuel miscalculation]. But it’s part of the job."

Despite the disappointing season, Bagnaia has expressed his commitment to Ducati, where he has enjoyed significant success, including titles in 2022 and 2023, as well as a runner-up finish last year. Bagnaia’s current contract with Ducati extends to the end of 2026, preceding the introduction of MotoGP’s new 850cc era.

"I want to continue with Ducati," he affirmed. "I started with Ducati. They gave me the possibility. They gave me the chance to win the title. I gave them the title. We improved the bike [over the years]. Now it’s a bike that everybody can use. My ambition is to finish my career with them."

While Ducati celebrated a successful 2025 season, marked by sweeping all three titles following the arrival of Marc Marquez in the factory garage, Bagnaia’s diminished form has raised concerns within Borgo Panigale and prompted speculation about their long-term trajectory.

Bagnaia’s resilience and determination to overcome adversity will be crucial as he seeks to rediscover his championship-winning form and lead Ducati back to the pinnacle of MotoGP. The upcoming Valencia test presents an opportunity for Bagnaia and Ducati to identify and address the issues that plagued their season, setting the stage for a potential resurgence in the coming years.