Pecco Bagnaia “just hoping” Mandalika MotoGP woes don’t return in Australia

Pecco Bagnaia has the podium in his sights at the Australian Grand Prix

Pecco Bagnaia, Ducati Corse, 2025 Australian MotoGP
Pecco Bagnaia, Ducati Corse, 2025 Australian MotoGP
© Gold and Goose

Double MotoGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia says he is “just hoping” for a form rebound at the Australian Grand Prix and will know in FP1 after “the first lap” if that will happen.

The factory Ducati rider comes to Phillip Island off the back of a new low for his 2025 season at the Indonesian Grand Prix, as he struggled to last by almost 30s in the sprint and crashed out of last in the main race.

That followed his return to winning ways just one week before at the Japanese Grand Prix, which is thought to be the result of his GP25 being fitted with key GP24 parts - chiefly, the ride height device.

Pecco Bagnaia said at Mandalika that his bike was “theoretically” the same as at Motegi, but had no answer for his struggles.

Looking ahead to the Australian Grand Prix, he believes he can fight for the podium but admits he is “just hoping” not to go through what he did at Mandalika again.

“It’s a good track, always been competitive here,” he said on Thursday.

“Not the easiest for me, but the last three seasons we were able to finish on the podium.

“So, the objective is to be on the podium.

“We will have to understand the situation with the weather because it looks that it will be quite windy in these days.

“I really hope to find the same feeling as Motegi so I can fight for it. If not, if it will be like in Mandalika, it will be a tough weekend.

“I will have the meeting in an hour, so I will understand then what we will do.

“I just really hope to bounce back like in Motegi because the bike was working.

“In Mandalika, unluckily, it was just tough because the bike was working in a different way and not in a very good way. So, just hoping.”

When asked when he expected to know what kind of weekend he will expect to have, he replied: “Out of FP1, the first lap.”

Not speaking to the media after his Indonesian Grand Prix crash, Thursday at Phillip Island represented the first opportunity to understand what caused that fall.

He explained: “Unluckily, this season when the bike isn’t working, like in Mandalika or Misano or Silverstone, the bike pushes a lot.

“The inertia pushes a lot. You need to force more on the steering on the bike and you just lose it.”

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