Italian MotoGP rider Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia has opened up about his struggles during the 2025 season, admitting that at one point, he “didn’t recognize himself” while trying to rediscover his form on the factory Ducati GP25.
This season has been one of the toughest in Bagnaia’s career. From the start, he has struggled to adapt his riding style to the new GP25, which behaves very differently from the previous version. The results speak for themselves — out of 18 rounds so far, Bagnaia has only managed two grand prix wins, compared to 11 victories last year.
Meanwhile, his teammate Marc Marquez has been on a completely different level, dominating with 11 Sunday wins and 14 sprint victories, putting him far ahead in the championship standings. With four rounds remaining, Bagnaia currently trails Marquez by a massive 271 points — a nearly impossible gap to close.
After what seemed like a breakthrough at the Japanese Grand Prix, where switching to some GP24 components, including the ride height device, helped him dominate the weekend, things quickly went downhill again. At the Indonesian Grand Prix, Bagnaia’s performance took a sharp dip — he finished nearly 30 seconds off the sprint race leader and crashed out of the main race while running near the back.
In an interview with the official MotoGP website, Bagnaia shared how challenging this season has been for him and his team:
“My side of the garage was working really hard, the engineers were doing everything to help me adapt to the bike. But in the end, it wasn’t about adapting to the bike — it was about changing the bike itself,” he explained.
“It’s not easy when your teammate keeps winning, and you’re struggling to get results. It’s hard to keep believing. I wasn’t recognizing myself — and I think nobody else was either. Some people started doubting my potential, but I never lost confidence. I always knew I had the potential to fight for wins.”
Despite the ups and downs, Bagnaia insists he still has full faith in Ducati and sees his future tied to the brand that has defined his MotoGP career.
“I never doubted Ducati because I believe my career started and will end with them. It’s too early to think about next year, but if the bike feels right, I can fight again. If not, I’ll keep pushing and working to get everything back on track,” he said with determination.
Although the 2025 season has tested his limits, Bagnaia remains optimistic. The two-time world champion is determined to finish the season strong and return to the form that once made him the rider to beat in MotoGP.
