What Bagnaia thinks has caused his MotoGP 2025 struggles

Francesco Bagnaia says he has evaluated “every single direction” and has come to the conclusion that his 2025 MotoGP struggles stem from his inability to adapt to the DNA of Ducati’s GP25.

A number of theories have emerged about Bagnaia’s poor form this season, with the two-time world champion’s results steadily declining since the start of the year.

While some critics believe he has been shaken by the arrival of former Honda star Marc Marquez in the team, others including Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi have claimed that he lacks the confidence to push on the bike.

However, having now completed 15 grands prix on the GP25, Bagnaia maintains that there is a fundamental mismatch between his riding style and the core traits of Ducati’s new MotoGP challenger.

“Honestly, I looked at every single direction possible and the only reason for my difficulty is that this bike has a different DNA that I’m still not able to adapt to,” he said ahead of this weekend’s Misano round.

“Some bikes are better, some bikes are more difficult, but it depends on the way you can adapt to it. Unluckily, with this bike, I’m struggling more.”

Bagnaia arrived in Misano on the back of a disastrous weekend at the Catalan Grand Prix, where he endured the second-worst qualifying of his MotoGP career and ended up 21st on the grid.

While the Barcelona track is notorious for its low-grip surface, the San Marino GP venue presents a completely different challenge with its high-grip asphalt.

The factory Ducati rider said he is hoping for a “normal weekend” on home turf after scoring just 16 points across the two previous weekends in Hungary and Spain.

“It will be important for me to have more grip, because last weekend was quite tricky for me,” he said. 

“I was struggling a lot to find some support from the rear, so it’s super useful. The last GP was a disaster [and] a nightmare for me, like the one in Balaton. I just need a normal race weekend, and a good result could be a fantastic moment right now.”

While Bagnaia admitted he hasn’t achieved the results expected of a factory rider, he insists he is determined to get his campaign back on track.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

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

“Right now, I don’t want to say that I’m happy, I don’t want to say that I’m angry,” he said when asked about his mindset.

“I know that I’m here to win races, I’m here in the factory team because I can fight for wins. Right now, the potential is not there. I tried everything to adapt to this bike, but right now I’m still struggling to do it and the results are those ones.

“So it’s difficult, but I’m always trying to arrive at the race weekend with a good motivation to fight for a win.”

The 28-year-old said that while a “win would be fantastic” in Misano, he is more realistic and is aiming for a top-five finish on Sunday.