Ducati: Data shows Pecco Bagnaia “still the fast rider” from previous MotoGP seasons

Ducati MotoGP team boss Davide Tardozzi says “we see on the data” that Pecco Bagnaia “is still the fast rider of the year before” after a disappointing Italian Grand Prix.

The double world champion said coming into the Mugello weekend that something would be wrong if he wasn’t competitive during the Italian Grand Prix, having won it for the past three years.

After an early battle for the win in Sunday’s 23-lap grand prix, Pecco Bagnaia faded out of the podium places after a late overtake from VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.

With Ducati team-mate Marc Marquez winning at Mugello, Pecco Bagnaia is now 110 points down on the championship leader after nine rounds in 2025.

Bagnaia looked to have made a breakthrough in finding the front end confidence he has so far been missing last time out at Aragon, but those issues appeared to return in the grand prix.

Tardozzi says Ducati hasn’t found the solution it needs to help Bagnaia, but still believes in his ability based on what the team has seen in the data.

“Yes, obviously after three wins in a row like he did in the last three years, he was expecting something more,” he told MotoGP’s After the Flag.

“From the start of the championship, we are facing some problems for Pecco that doesn’t give him the confidence he has in his main area, which is braking hard and carrying the corner speed entering the corner.

“So, in this moment we haven’t found the solution. But we absolutely know and we see on the data that Pecco is still the fast rider of the year before.

“So, we trust him and we are struggling to find something every day in Ducati and I think Gigi will find a solution quite soon.”

Ducati ultimately locked out the podium on Sunday at Mugello, with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio completing the rostrum behind Marc Marquez.

The Marquez brothers and Bagnaia battled hard in the first seven laps, with the factory Ducati team-mates making contact at one stage.

Reflecting on this fight, Tardozzi said: “Honestly, I was with the fingers crossed that nothing would happen.

“But I think Pecco and Marc and Alex showed a fantastic couple of laps. And I think that there was 11, 12 overtakes and that was a fantastic show for the public.”