The unpredictable journey of Pecco Bagnaia’s 2025 season takes another intriguing turn.
The two-time MotoGP champion, Pecco Bagnaia, finds himself grappling with more uncertainties regarding his actual performance levels for the 2025 season, especially after the initial day of practice at the Australian Grand Prix.
In a striking contrast to his previous disappointing showing in Indonesia, Bagnaia managed to advance directly to Q2 during the Australian event. However, this achievement came under perplexing circumstances as he noticed an unusual disparity between the two Ducati Desmosedici bikes at his disposal.
The Phillip Island circuit, with its fast and flowing layout, seems to alleviate some of the braking issues that Bagnaia has struggled with throughout the season. This is noteworthy since he didn't have similar hurdles at the notoriously brake-intensive track in Motegi, where he celebrated a double victory.
After completing Friday's practice, Bagnaia clearly stated that even though he finished in a respectable ninth position, he lacked the same level of confidence and comfort he felt in Japan. This raises the question: what is causing this disconnect?
Adding more complexity to Bagnaia's situation, it appears he is only finding pace on one of his two bikes, despite both machines theoretically sharing identical specifications to each other and to the setup he used at Mandalika, where he unfortunately crashed out while battling for last place.
In both of Friday’s practice sessions at Phillip Island, Bagnaia first took to the track on one of his bikes, but the onboard camera footage revealed significant shaking, prompting him to return to the pit almost immediately.
"Changing plans after just one lap!" he remarked. "I didn’t have a smooth start to today’s opening sessions."
"Fortunately, one of the bikes is functioning well," Bagnaia commented. "However, the other is experiencing the same issues we faced in Indonesia. It’s challenging to push and complete laps under these circumstances. Thankfully, I have one bike that is performing normally.
"I don't feel the same confidence here as I did in Japan; I still encounter problems during hard braking, especially when entering corners. My team is diligently working on it and trying to find the root cause of the issue since both bikes are identical to those used in Indonesia.
"Right now, it’s hard to understand why only one is functioning correctly. They are actively investigating and seeking solutions.
"While the bike that is working is at least competitive, I know I'm not operating at my best. If I can get off to a good start and make early overtakes, I could potentially be among the frontrunners. Otherwise, I may find myself stuck in the pack. We are continuing to analyze the situation.
"I believe today was crucial as we might have gleaned more insights compared to previous races, and we’ll see how it unfolds. It’s still tough to interpret everything accurately, but I did face similar challenges as before.
"That said, we were fortunate to end up in the top ten. Let’s see how we can improve for tomorrow."
This leaves fans and experts alike pondering: What could be the underlying issues with the Ducati, and how will they affect Bagnaia's potential in the upcoming races? It will be fascinating to see the developments unfold, and we invite you to share your thoughts. Do you agree with Bagnaia's assessment, or do you think there’s a deeper problem at play? Let's discuss!
