Pecco Bagnaia, a cold shoulder from Ducati: “I wanted to make a name for myself”

The partnership between Ducati and Pecco Bagnaia is coming to an end in the worst possible way. Even on the sidelines of the Qatar Grand Prix, the Piedmontese rider—a two-time world champion with the Borgo Panigale-based team—made no secret of his frustration with the team, which he will leave at the end of the year.

At the press conference, he remained cryptic regarding the statements he made in Sepang, when he said that his bike no longer had that certain something that had allowed him to make the difference at Motegi last year. Tardozzi was taken aback by these words, and now Bagnaia has declined to explain. “I can’t let the media talk about me just because of good results, so I looked for another approach, and it worked out well. People are still talking about it a lot—it worked,” he said.

“A fitting finale isn’t just about results,” he continued. It’s obvious that a good weekend can put us in a good mood, but nothing will take away from what we’ve accomplished. We’ve won two world titles; we’ve made the bike the best on the grid, and I’m sure no one will ever be able to take that away from us. It’s clear that when things don’t go our way, it’s harder to move forward in harmony, but it’s part of the story and always will be,” Pecco said, as reported by Gpone.

Bagnaia has always felt at home at Losail: “I love this track; its layout suits me well, and for Ducati, it’s one of the best. The track surface seems similar to Brno’s, so maybe I’ll have fewer grip issues. If I can work well with the team, I’ll be able to finish in the top six. The track surface is the key factor. Considering how bad the track conditions were at Sepang, maybe I’ll be even more motivated to do better. Nobody wants those kinds of problems during the weekend, and Sunday’s race was a disaster, too.”