> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Bagnaia, Ducati and MotoGP are all lucky - URL: https://www.the-race.com/motogp/bagnaia-ducati-and-motogp-are-all-lucky/ - Published: 2026-09-02T09:01:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-02T10:46:24.000Z - Description: Pecco Bagnaia called his recent MotoGP struggles "humiliating and mortifying". But maybe there's a silver lining for him, Ducati, and even the championship itself - Author: Valentin Khorounzhiy - Tags: MotoGP, #ducati, #pecco-bagnaia, #secondary_feature_2 Pecco Bagnaia, Ducati and MotoGP as a whole may have got particularly lucky with the timing of Bagnaia's separation from Ducati - if his latest slump is anything to go by. Whatever momentum Bagnaia had ended the first half of the season with has been snuffed out as he followed up a very worrying British Grand Prix with an equally poor Aragon outing. He was marginally more competitive within the Ducati pecking order at Aragon, but still unproductive and very uncomfortable with the bike. --- ### Bagnaia's gap to top Ducati in Aragon GP **FP1:** +1.875s **PR:** +1.022s **FP2:** +0.262s **Qualifying:** +0.620s **Sprint:** +14.575s **Warm-up:** +0.700s **Grand prix:** DNF --- Bagnaia is still having to manage the condition of his right forearm, which was operated on between Sachsenring and Silverstone to alleviate arm pump. He reckoned at Aragon that it is not creating any direct limitations for him on the bike - but it could be influencing his riding in subtler ways. And that riding is clearly not at the level that everyone has come to expect of him. "We honestly came in thinking that Pecco here could be at least in the top five," Davide Tardozzi told British broadcaster TNT during the weekend. "We're still struggling to find the way for him. He's still not confident, he's not pushing, he's not able to do what he was able to do." And when asked about the psychological side of the issue, Tardozzi agreed that "it could be his approach that sometimes limits his performance". There was a whole narrative over whether Ducati is listening enough to Bagnaia's complaints last year, when he struggled so much with the 2025-spec Desmosedici. Clearly, this narrative is bubbling under the surface again; Bagnaia hasn't accused Ducati of turning a blind eye, but he has made repeated references to other Ducati riders having more grip available to them, and to the whole organisation struggling to zero in on the reason. Whereas last year he hated the GP25's front end, now he's at odds with the GP26's rear. But the performance picture comes out shockingly similar to 2025: that of a rider who struggles more in race conditions than in the more pressured sessions, and of a rider who cannot maintain pace through a race the way he used to. "I think the feeling wasn't that bad until Sachsenring," Bagnaia said. "Everything was working in a more constant way - I was struggling, it's true, but the results were more optimistic. "From Silverstone something happened. Because I have zero grip, completely, zero. And I don't know \[what will happen\] when we will arrive in other circuits where the level of \[track\] grip is lower. I can't imagine." Bagnaia revealed his crew played with the set-up to load the rear more, which didn't work well in the sprint, so then unloaded it, which didn't work in the grand prix. To Italian media, Bagnaia said he was at one of the lowest points of his sporting career - and described his situation as "humiliating and mortifying". He said that "the things I could do easily a few years ago are now impossible" - but insisted he is still the rider he was, as every time he rides something other than a Desmosedici MotoGP bike he feels strong and he feels relieved. But what he, Ducati and probably MotoGP as a whole should feel most relieved about is that this will run its course soon. Bagnaia has been a total championship non-entity since Marc Marquez's arrival to his team in 2025\. Whether by coincidence, causation or a bit of both, his fortunes turned virtually overnight - and they turned quickly enough for Ducati to prioritise signing Pedro Acosta for 2027. But imagine if it hadn't. Imagine if general manager Gigi Dall'Igna looked at Bagnaia mid-2025, said 'this is still our two-time champion' and put a firm 2027-28 deal on the table - a deal I believe Bagnaia would have accepted. Maybe that would have been worth a few tenths. But in all likelihood it would have meant a lopsided line-up at one of MotoGP's top teams - all the rumours suggest Ducati's [850cc bike is awesome](https://www.the-race.com/motogp/insane-ducati-tipped-for-early-advantage-in-motogp-2027/) \- and a great rider stuck in a place where something just no longer works. Instead, Bagnaia has bagged himself a wonderful fresh start at Aprilia (with a four-year deal, which... is a conversation for another time). Ducati, in Marquez and Acosta, has one of the most loaded line-ups in the championship's history. And MotoGP bosses can sleep well knowing that even if Ducati's 850cc turns out to be a juggernaut, the Marquez-Acosta rivalry will guarantee sky-high levels of intrigue.