Francesco Bagnaia: Sepang test data could help “understand the bike’s behaviour”

Francesco Bagnaia is hoping data from February’s Sepang MotoGP test might provide a further clue in understanding the behaviour of his Ducati GP25.

Incredibly, Bagnaia hasn’t scored a single point in the four races since soaring to a perfect double victory in Motegi, where his form was transformed after switching to some older GP24-parts at the Misano test.

But while last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix took place on the unique Phillip Island circuit, Sepang is a much more familiar venue, where Bagnaia took Grand Prix wins in 2022 and 2024.

"I'm leaving behind another difficult weekend, with two crashes between the Sprint and the race,” said Bagnaia, who was 19th in the Phillip Island Sprint before crashing from twelfth in the grand prix.

“I'm not satisfied, but I know that, at least for Sunday's race, I did everything I could to stay with the group and recover positions.

“It's not an easy situation, but the whole team and I are doing everything we can to fully understand the bike's behaviour and get back to being competitive.

“Furthermore, on this track, we have all the data from the early February test to be able to make a real comparison.”

Bagnaia was second fastest to Alex Marquez during February’s Sepang test, when team-mate Marc Marquez was fifth.

Gresini rider Alex is now on the verge of confirming second in the world championship, while Bagnaia is now eight points behind Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi in fourth.

2025 world champion Marc Marquez will be missing his second event in a row due to shoulder injuries this weekend, and is again replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro.

“The first race weekend was challenging: Phillip Island is tough, both physically and in terms of riding,” he said. “I hadn't raced there since years.

“In Sepang, however, I feel more comfortable; I've already ridden here with this bike, and we definitely have more reference points. We're continuing to work and gather information.”