Pecco Bagnaia already puts his hands out ahead of Le Mans

Pecco Bagnaia has not yet put behind him the personal nightmare that has accompanied him practically since the beginning of the 2025 season and, despite the good sensations gathered from the Ducati updates at the Jerez tests, he is also keeping a low profile ahead of the French Grand Prix to be held on Sunday on the always fascinating stage of Le Mans. On the contrary, the Piedmontese believes that Borgo Panigale will not take any risks on transalpine soil to avoid the possibility of paying dues later.

The main reason is the weather: the Le Mans sky threatens rain on both Saturday and Sunday. “The updated GP-26 with the new fairing could also be there, I think. At the present time, however, we don’t have that many. So if the track conditions should be mixed I think we won’t use it,” Bagnaia admitted to ‘Sky Sport.’ Already there are few, so we don’t have to ruin them ahead of Barcelona. There the aerodynamic part makes more of a difference than here. Then we’ll see what happens.”

“The Ducati is certainly not working as we expected, so our moment is quite difficult – added Bagnaia -. I then have been in this situation for more than a year, unfortunately. I feel better on the front, but I keep struggling and not being able to do what I want to do. And this is strange. The bike on braking remains nervous, it’s not like it used to be when it allowed you to take off really hard, get in really hard and stay there. I still believe in it, we just have to find the square. The potential is there.”

A predicament also shared by box-mate Marc Marquez, who has also run out of wins and podiums in Sunday’s long races in the first four Grands Prix of the season. The Catalan, currently fifth in the World Championship 44 points behind leader Marco Bezzecchi on Aprilia, lucidly analyzed the Borgo Panigale Rossa’s problems: “The results show that we have speed but not consistency. So that’s where we have to focus or try to understand why we lack this consistency, which last year was our strong point in all kinds of conditions, on all kinds of tracks. This year we have been much more inconsistent. Little by little, I think we’ll solve the problem.”

The nine-time world champion also pinpointed precisely the technical areas that Ducati needs to work on: “I notice it especially in the fast corners; that’s where I struggle the most, especially in the left-hand turns, where I’m definitely going slower than last year. It’s the combination of everything, so you try to find time elsewhere, which puts this aspect under more scrutiny.” Words that resonate almost speculatively with Bagnaia’s about the bike’s nervousness under braking, confirming how the GP-26’s problem is structural and not related to the individual rider.

Despite the difficulties, Marquez is not hiding behind the hope of rain, even though he is aware that the weather could play a decisive role in the French weekend. “Relying on rain is a phrase I don’t like,” said the Catalan, “because if a rider is hoping for rain it means that in dry conditions he is not proving to be the level to win. So, of course, whether it’s dry or wet, we will try to get the best.” Still, a mental approach that betrays the awareness of someone who knows he can take advantage of mixed conditions better than many of his rivals, as evidenced by his historic ability to adapt.

In the French house, meanwhile, anticipation is growing for the performance of the home favorites. Johann Zarco, surprise winner of just last season’s French GP, said he is ready to again take advantage of a possible opportunity offered by the weather: “In the rain, all the movements are more delicate and I can control them better than in the dry, where instead you push a lot and can make mistakes. If the same opportunity as last year comes up again, I will have to stay focused and take advantage of it.” More cautious, however, Fabio Quartararo, who with his Yamaha aims to consolidate the feeling found in Jerez rather than chasing impossible results: “Unfortunately, expectations are lower than last year. When you want to overdo it you make a mistake: I try to take advantage of the energy of the public to give something more, but I don’t think it can help me to do a better result. At most I can give my best.”