Pecco Bagnaia still sees himself behind Fabio Di Giannantonio: "Let’s be realistic"
Pecco Bagnaia comes to Mugello with a newfound optimism about Ducati’s chances of doing well, but not necessarily his own. The Borgo Panigale centaur who has performed best in this first phase of the 2026 MotoGP championship has largely been Fabio Di Giannantonio, and the Piedmontese Team Factory rider admits he is convinced that it will go the same way on the legendary Scarperia track.
“Let’s be realistic. We are working well in Ducati, but the fact that Fabio Di Giannantonio is in better condition with our package is quite obvious,” said Bagnaia.
“This is a good track for us, and I am also aware that my riding style is very well suited to the characteristics of Mugello. But we have to put all these elements into perspective from Friday, all the more so because we will be up against a very strong Aprilia and a KTM that is really fast this year.”
The reference to Di Giannantonio is not coincidental: the Roman rider of the VR46 team took his second career victory in the premier class in Barcelona, the first since the 2023 Qatar GP, imposing himself in a race disrupted by two red flags. It was a success that further consolidated his position as a reference in Ducati this season, so much so that it prompted general manager Gigi Dall’Igna to extol his “further maturity, making the most of the restarts after the red flags.” Bagnaia, in that same race, finished third – later promoted to fourth following tire-pressure checks – still picking up valuable points in a complicated weekend.
The context in which the Mugello weekend is set, however, is marked by a major theme: the return of Marc Marquez. The reigning world champion, who underwent surgery on his shoulder and foot after his crash in Barcelona, will be on track regularly for Friday’s free practice while keeping a low profile ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, although Ducati continues to remain uninvolved. “The shoulder injury turned out to be more serious than expected. If I’m here, though, it’s because I feel capable of going all the way. Clearly I am not at my best, I will have to work one step at a time. The race is the race and the risk is there, but over the course of the week I’ll see if I can adapt to how I feel,” explained the Catalan.
On the issue, Kevin Schwantz, former world champion and an influential voice in the paddock, also spoke out. The Texan has no doubts about who is the favorite at Mugello: “Even with one finger probably still sore, I think he will be competitive,” he said referring to Marquez. But Schwantz also pointed out that Mugello could hold surprises: “Bagnaia is racing at home, so who knows. MotoGP changes every week. If Acosta and KTM find something to have more consistency in the race, they could be up there at the front.”
It is precisely KTM that represents one of the hot topics of the Tuscan weekend. The Austrian manufacturer has shown a remarkable pace this season, with Pedro Acosta often starring in qualifying and in the early stages of the race. A competitiveness that Bagnaia himself has explicitly mentioned as a variable to keep an eye on, on a par with an Aprilia that with Bezzecchi and Martin is fighting steadily for the top positions in the championship.
In the background, meanwhile, the big maneuvers in view of the future also move. According to the latest market rumors, Di Giannantonio himself – the absolute protagonist of this first part of the season with the Ducati VR46 – would be destined to switch to the official KTM in 2027, the year in which the championship will also experience a technical revolution with the transition from 1000cc to 850cc. An interweaving of ambitions and strategies that makes the Italian Grand Prix even more meaningful, on and off the track.
