Why rescuing Francesco Bagnaia is no longer in Ducati's hands

Francesco Bagnaia’s disastrous weekend at Misano marked the lowest point yet for the most successful rider in Ducati’s history. The Italian is being reminded by the factory that the crisis of confidence paralysing him comes from within himself, not from the machine he rides.

Bagnaia’s affable nature and current plight has stirred compassion from all areas – not only his fellow VR46 Academy riders who he is naturally closer to, but also rivals like Marc Marquez, his factory Ducati team-mate.

The Spaniard’s 11th victory of the season, which came in the San Marino GP, has put a seventh MotoGP crown within reach, potentially to be clinched in Japan in two weeks’ time. Should he succeed, Marquez will have completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in sporting history: six years after his last title, and following four operations after his career-threatening arm injury.

Marquez is riding a wave of triumph at the very moment his team-mate is enduring his darkest spell, leaving Misano empty-handed, his second zero after Le Mans, and this time in front of his home fans, who, like the rest of the paddock and Ducati’s management, are all asking the same question: what is wrong with Bagnaia?

“The answer to that question lies only with him. We want to help, but he must let us. He cannot be the last of the Ducati riders. Pecco is much better than that,” a senior Ducati source told Motorsport.com. “The issue isn’t Marc beating him; that’s understandable and acceptable. The real problem is that the others are now more consistent than him.”

Motorsport.com understands this is the conclusion Ducati has reached after exhaustive analysis of the Desmosedici, finding no mechanical explanation for the lack of confidence Bagnaia has complained of since the start of the season. Still, Ducati has chosen to protect him publicly, accepting his grievances even at the risk of compromising the team’s image.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

But in Misano, the Turin-born rider hit rock bottom. On Saturday he qualified eighth and finished 13th in the sprint, over 16 seconds adrift of winner Marco Bezzecchi in just 13 laps. “I’m living a nightmare. There must be something major making me a second and a half slower,” he said, before adding a phrase heard from him before: “My patience is running out.”

On Sunday he crashed on lap eight while running in eighth, sinking further still. Ducati shielded him from the press, limiting his post-race comments to a brief contractual obligation in the back of the garage. He left the garage at 7:05pm, five hours after the race, following a long conversation with Casey Stoner, another figure trying to lift him.

“Pecco’s patience has run out, and so has ours, and that of the fans who follow him,” remarked Gigi Dall’Igna, the engineer behind the GP25 on which Marquez is flying while Bagnaia is suffering.

Bagnaia last stood on the podium at Sachsenring, where he finished third before the summer break. In the five rounds since, he has collected only 40 points. Over the same period, Marquez amassed 168, Bezzecchi 99, Pedro Acosta 89 and Alex Marquez 69. Unless he halts this freefall, Bagnaia risks not only losing his current third place in the championship – with Bezzecchi just eight points behind now – but also being caught by Acosta, who is 49 points adrift in fifth.

Outwardly, both Ducati and Bagnaia insist all efforts are focused on finding the root cause of his discomfort, which prevents him from exploiting his potential — the same potential that made him the first two-time champion on a Ducati and its most successful rider with 30 wins and 58 podiums.

Behind closed doors, however, the message is different: the key lies not in changing parts or set-up, but in Bagnaia’s mindset. It seems inconceivable that none of Ducati’s many engineers could pinpoint a technical trigger for his slump. “It’s not about the GP24, the GP25 or the GP26. The problem isn’t there,” it is said, as Ducati advise him to keep riding as therapy, since he has opted against working with a sports psychologist.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Mirco Lazzari GP – Getty Images

On Monday, Bagnaia and the rest of the grid returned to the track – on the same bike with which he had crashed the day before. He improved by a full second, finishing sixth on the test timesheets, ahead of Marquez. Stoner was by his side most of the time, offering not only advice but also set-up suggestions. His relationship with Cristian Gabarrini, Bagnaia’s current crew chief and Stoner’s engineer during his two titles, makes communication natural and fluid. “I’d love to have Casey with me all the time. I know that’s not possible, but whenever the chance arises, I try to make the most of it,” Bagnaia admitted.

Turning to a figure like Stoner might be a clever move – but it also reveals that Ducati’s own tools to help him may already be exhausted.

With one of the busiest rider markets in years looming, Ducati must soon decide on the ideal pairing for its factory team. Securing Marquez’s renewal has become the top priority, while Bagnaia’s future hinges on whether he can turn around his fortunes. He must – whether on the GP25, the GP26, or even on a scooter – and fast.