Ducati responds after Pecco Bagnaia's frank admission about 2025 MotoGP bike

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi is confident Pecco Bagnaia can “adapt himself” to GP25 MotoGP bike after admitting he “can’t find what I want” from it.

Pecco Bagnaia has made his best start to a season in terms of points in 2025, but has struggled to be a legitimate victory contender so far this season on pure pace.

He has repeatedly complained of being unable to attack the front end of his bike like he was able to last year, with Ducati working to try to improve this.

But on Friday at the French Grand Prix, Bagnaia admitted: “I cannot do what I want with the front of the bike, so I have to solve it in other areas”.

He then qualified sixth, before crashing out of Saturday's sprint. It was his first DNF of 2025.

Davide Tardozzi responds to Pecco Bagnaia worry

Tardozzi, speaking before Saturday's sessions, believed Bagnaia’s “level has raised” compared to 2024, when he won 11 grands prix and narrowly lost the title, but recognised that he has to adapt his riding style further now to the bike he has.

“In some ways yes, but in the end he rode well because he’s third in the championship, 20 points from the leader,” Tardozzi told the MotoGP world feed on Saturday when asked about Bagnaia’s difficult season.

“So, he’s making his best results at the beginning of the championship this year. It’s not so bad.

“In the end we are struggling a bit to give him the right feeling on the front.

“In the end, he’s going faster than last year, so it’s obvious that the level has raised and now he has to adapt himself to different conditions but I think he can do it.”

Bagnaia has repeatedly been asked about reverting to the GP24, having touted that himself after the Argentina GP.

In Spain, he said the 2025 bike has more potential than the 2024 despite the fact it’s the Ducati leading the championship right now with Alex Marquez.

Tardozzi reconfirmed that the engine in the GP25 is different to the one homologated for the GP24, even if it’s not the full 2025 spec tested in the pre-season.

So, a total reversion is not possible, but he says all other parts are on the table to try should Bagnaia wish.

“First of all I have to clarify that the ’25 engine is different to the ’24,” he added.

“That’s why we have two homologations. We homologated one engine for the 2024 bikes and one engine for the 2025 bike.

“So, it means that the ’25 bike is different from the previous one. Apart from the engine, we can change everything. We can test whatever parts riders want.

“The difference is on engine, but the rest you can do whatever you want.”

Ducati has an updated chassis at Le Mans, which Marc Marquez has two examples of as of Saturday.

Bagnaia doesn’t have any, having not tested it at Jerez as Ducati elected to focus him on improving his front end issues.

Marquez says the updated chassis is very similar in feeling to the standard version but Ducati believes it’s the better longer-term bet.

Ducati says the plan is for Bagnaia to test the updated frame on the Monday after the Aragon GP.