Pecco Bagnaia predicts “completely different” MotoGP season with Motegi changes

Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia believes he would have faced a “completely different championship” if he’d found his MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix bike fixes sooner.

The double world champion has toiled all season to find his old title-winning form on the GP25, with the Italian facing a particularly miserable recent run.

But a test at Misano after the San Marino Grand Prix, where it is thought Pecco Bagnaia reverted to 2024 forks, swingarm and ride height device, has seemingly unlocked his potential.

From the off in Japan, Bagnaia has been rapid, with the Ducati rider taking a first pole since Brno and converting that to his first sprint victory of the season by almost two seconds from Marc Marquez.

Having especially struggled in sprints this year, with his last podium coming in June before today, this form bounce is incredible promising.

“It’s a huge shame we didn’t get there sooner because it would have been a completely different championship for me,” he told Sky Italy.

“There are only 11 races left [combining grands prix and sprints]. But we have to look ahead; that’s the important thing.

“We know what we’ve touched, so understanding what’s going on was crucial.

“This result is fantastic for my mood, not because I’d stopped believing in it, because I’ve always said that the moment I was in a position to push I’d be ahead.

“This weekend is the first time I’ve actually felt truly competitive. The race was definitely very close.

“It must be said that Marc got a bit bogged down at the start, otherwise it would have definitely been a battle. But I’m extremely happy.”

Bagnaia admitted he predicted Motegi to be “a nightmare” if he wasn’t able to find a solution to his front-end woes on the Ducati.

However, he has remained cagey as to what exactly has been changed on his bike, telling the media: “We haven’t returned to the GP24, but we’ve changed parts that haven’t worked in other situations, but here and in Misano they did.

“They’re parts that Marc also has.”

Why did Pecco Bagnaia’s bike fix take so long?

Bagnaia also believes he and Ducati could have found this solution earlier, but notes that the previous post-race tests prior to Misano came at tracks where he’s had strong results.

“Probably, yes, but in the end it’s always in the most difficult moments that you bring out the most things,” he said.

“I have to say that the tests we had this year were after Jerez and Aragon. After Jerez, I finished third in the race and was strong - the same in Aragon, where I came within two seconds of the win.

“So, we were focusing more on other details.

“Now we’re focused on finding another Parth, different from what we had thought up until now, and it worked because I’m back to riding as I always have been able to.”