Ducati MotoGP boss on Bagnaia: “I’ve lost patience too”

Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna has admitted that he has lost patience with Francesco Bagnaia amid his worsening run of form in MotoGP. 

Bagnaia came away empty handed from this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix after struggling to 13th in the sprint and crashing out of the race while running in eighth place.

This was only the second time this season that he failed to score a point over an entire race weekend, after also enduring a miserable outing in the rain-affected French Grand Prix.

Bagnaia had already shown signs of frustration after Saturday’s sprint at Misano, where he rapidly dropped down the order after qualifying eighth, conceding that his patience was running thin.

“My patience is running out. It’s difficult,” Bagnaia told Sky Italy on Saturday. “My effort is enormous, my head is strong. I will not lose confidence in my potential and in my team. We will continue to work, and one day we will return. I hope it will be soon. 

“We have to work harder. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. We have to look at the data and understand what’s going on, someone has to explain it to me. I’m living a nightmare.” 

It echoed comments made by Bagnaia after the Austrian Grand Prix, where he demanded an answer from Ducati about his inexplicable struggles on the GP25.

Tensions have also been building within Borgo Panigale about the two-time MotoGP champion’s poor run of results, with team boss Davide Tardozzi saying he needs to learn to ride around the problems.

So far, Dall’Igna had been more diplomatic in his assessment, stating in Barcelona that the Italian was lacking the same feeling on the bike compared to the GP24 with which he won 11 grands prix last year.

However, when Bagnaia’s latest comments were put to him on Sunday by Sky Italy, he gave a blunt response: “I’ve lost patience too, as have Pecco’s fans. I think it’s normal to say these things when the results aren’t coming.”

MotoGP will hold its last in-season test at Misano on Monday, offering non-concession manufacturers a chance to try new updates outside of a grand prix weekend.

The previous in-season test at Aragon was crucial for Bagnaia’s team-mate Marc Marquez, allowing him to hone in a set-up that laid the foundation for his dominant streak in the middle part of the season.

However, Dall’Igna warned against expecting any miracles for Bagnaia in the Misano test, saying: “Of course, you can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat in a single day of testing. It will be an important day, and I hope the tests will be fruitful. Everything is certainly important, but nothing fundamental will happen.”