Bagnaia Reflects on Last Year with a Touch of Melancholy: What Has Changed?

Pecco Bagnaia finished the Motegi pre-qualifying session with the 16th-fastest time, continuing to grapple with the difficulties that have plagued him this season: “It was a typical day, similar to all the others this year. I’m struggling with rear-end grip; I have zero grip, and it’s tough.”

The problem is already evident during braking: “Even when braking, it’s hard to slow the bike down; we need to work on that for tomorrow. With the new asphalt, it’s the same story—I have little grip and can’t seem to find it.” The Ducati rider also expects a more challenging situation compared to the previous round in Austria: “I think it’ll be harder than in Austria, since conditions at the Red Bull Ring were tough for everyone.”

Bagnaia then analyzed the work done during the day and the difficulties in finding an effective solution: “All the tracks suit my riding style, but unfortunately I don’t have much speed right now—in fact, I’m really struggling.”

The Ducati rider explained that he tried several setups without achieving the desired results: “I tried different setups, and they didn’t work the same way, so we’ll have to find another approach.” Finally, comparing this weekend to last year’s, when Bagnaia dominated at Motegi, highlights just how much the situation has changed: “Everything—unfortunately, everything changes.”