Ducati: Paolo Beltramo Doesn’t Mince Words About Pecco Bagnaia

Pecco Bagnaia’s prolonged slump continues to make headlines; for the second consecutive time, he concluded a MotoGP race weekend without scoring any points in the standings, finishing outside the points in the Sprints in both Great Britain and Aragon and crashing out in the Sunday feature races. In an attempt to explain what’s happening to the three-time world champion, Paolo Beltramo didn’t mince words during his appearance on “Reparto Corse” on Sky Sport.

“He’s going through a tough time,” began Beltramo, a longtime TV personality covering the MotoGP World Championship. “When he manages to stay up front, he does so respectably—sometimes with lap times close to the best—but he’s been going through a difficult period that’s lasted since last season. There have been a few flashes of brilliance here and there, it must be said, and he remains, after all, a rider who has won three world championships, two of them consecutively in MotoGP. The problem is that he has never really found his footing with this bike, and by now it’s clear that there are technical issues the team can’t seem to resolve.”

“We’re in the second half of the championship; his future is already set with his move to Aprilia, and from here on out he’ll at least try to achieve some personal satisfaction,” the Sky Sport commentator added. For a rider of his caliber, it’s frustrating to find himself battling for back-of-the-pack positions, far from the spotlight. Misano will be a source of motivation for him as well as for the other Italians: a track he knows well, an environment that can help him rediscover better form, and, perhaps, a result that breaks the monotony of a complicated season.”

After thirteen races this season, Bagnaia is eighth in the overall standings with 143 points, far behind not only first-place Jorga Martin with 256 points but also his Ducati factory team teammate, Marc Marquez, who, with his one-two finish at Motorland Aragon, has moved into second place in the standings with 237 points. Bagnaia has secured just one victory this year, in the Czech Republic Sprint, along with three second-place finishes in the Saturday races and four third-place finishes in the Sunday races.