Francesco Bagnaia unable to pass in Spanish MotoGP: “I’m not happy with races like this”

Two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia has admitted he’s “not happy” with his Spanish Grand Prix, having found himself unable to move forwards during the 25-lap race at Jerez.

Bagnaia had struggled to third place in the Sprint on Saturday, and was there again in Sunday’s Grand Prix, having spent the majority of the race trying – unsuccessfully – to find a way past Fabio Quartararo.

“I’m not happy with races like this – I can’t do anything again,” the Ducati Lenovo Team rider told the post-race press conference in Jerez.

“I was quite happy for the first three or four laps, that my pace and my feeling was very good, but as soon as I arrived to Fabio [Quartararo] I wasn’t having any chance to overtake.

“Every time arrived in turns seven, eight, 11, 12, I was losing a lot, the front was locking a lot and I was losing it everywhere. So, it’s a shame that it’s like this but it’s what is the situation right now.”

Bagnaia added that Sunday’s race was “better” than Saturday’s Sprint, but was nonetheless frustrated that he is continuing to run into the same issues this year and even suggested that Marc Marquez ran into the same issue when he crashed at turn eight while following Bagnaia.

“Today I was better than yesterday – at least I overtook someone, so it was better,” he said.

“The problem this season is always the same: when you are behind someone, you start to feel that the front is locking everywhere and it’s a problem.

“For the first time that Marc [Marquez] wasn’t leading from the start and was behind someone with a similar pace, he lost the front, because every time when you arrive in that position, when you release the brake you lose the front.

“It’s something that I’m getting used to because it’s from the first race that I’m in this situation, and also today I lost the front many times: turn eight, turns 11 and 12, turns four and five. We don’t know why.

“We are trying to understand the situation because Marc is very good to ride everything, honestly speaking, [but] I cannot do it. I want to feel better, to have a good feeling with the front, and in this situation it’s quite difficult because it’s something that is new for me because last year I never had this kind of feeling and I was doing things on fast corners that this season I cannot do.

“Maybe we will have to understand and change the balance of the new bike to different solutions because it’s difficult like this.”

The Italian added that Alex Marquez, on the Desmosedici GP24 he himself rode last year, is exhibiting the same strengths this year as Bagnaia had on the GP24 last year.

“Looking at Alex [Marquez], he was super-strong like I was last year,” he said.

“So, we need to maybe change something on the bike to change the balance, so tomorrow will be an important day.”

So, are the problems Bagnaia is encountering this season unique to the Desmosedici GP25?

“I think that the GP25 has more potential than the GP24 because it has more acceleration, more top speed, on the brakes it’s very good, on straights it’s very good,” he said.

“I don’t know why because the only thing that is the same is the chassis, so theoretically the balance is very similar or the same as the [GP24], but last year I was never having this problem apart from in the Sprint and in the long races I was always able to follow other riders – for example in this track I followed Jorge Martin for more than 10 laps and I was not having any kind of issue,” he said.

“This season I cannot do it and, looking at the data, it’s quite clear that if you put [Alex Marquez’s] lap time with my lap times from last year, it’s very similar his potential on fast corners; and if you put my one [of 2025] with last year’s I can’t do it.

"The front looks softer, so maybe we need to understand the situation and try new solutions, but it’s not completely correct to go back to the GP24, also because Marc is winning everything so it’s also difficult when your teammate is winning like this.”

Bagnaia is hoping to use Monday’s post-race test to resolve some of the issues he is currently experiencing.

“Luckily, we have an important test tomorrow; we will work a lot to find a better balance because right now we are struggling,” he said.

“It’s just strange that corners where I was super-strong last year, that were 11 and 12, this season I was struggling a lot – even more when I was behind.”