 |
| Francesco Bagnaia MotoGP 2025 Struggles Explained: Ducati GP25 Braking Problem Hurts His Performance. |
Francesco Bagnaia’s 2025 MotoGP season turned into a tough battle for consistency. The Italian rider spent much of the year trying to regain the front-end confidence he once had on previous Ducati bikes, but the GP25 never fully gave him that familiar feeling.
There were moments when Bagnaia’s trademark aggressive braking style resurfaced. His flawless weekend at Motegi proved that the speed was still there. Unfortunately, those flashes of brilliance didn’t last long. Ongoing vibration issues when exiting corners continued to disrupt his rhythm and confidence on track.
So where exactly was Bagnaia losing time compared to his title-winning seasons?
According to Bagnaia, straight-line braking was not the real issue. The biggest difference appeared when entering corners.
“In straight-line braking, things were very similar,” Bagnaia explained. “The main difference was during corner entry. In the past, I could stop the bike while it was already leaned over, and that was something I missed all season, especially when following other riders.”
This limitation became even more costly during races. In MotoGP, riding in another rider’s slipstream can help on straights, but it also makes braking more difficult when approaching corners.
“When you’re following someone, the slipstream doesn’t help you stop the bike at all,” Bagnaia said during the 2025 season. “And if you can’t brake with lean angle, you’re basically in trouble. That was my main problem this year.”
Bagnaia then compared the situation to the previous season. Last year, he was still able to brake with more lean angle, control front-end sliding, and push harder in the final phase of corner entry to scrub off speed.
“All of those things helped me a lot last season,” he added. “But this year, I usually wasn’t able to do them.”
From Bagnaia’s perspective, the issue wasn’t about raw speed, but about control and confidence at the most critical moment of a lap. His struggles highlight how a small technical limitation, like braking while leaned over, can have a major impact on race results in MotoGP. If Bagnaia wants to return to the top, solving this braking and corner-entry problem with the Ducati GP25 will be absolutely crucial.
- Memuat artikel...
