Pecco Bagnaia explains “flat track” Sachsenring MotoGP struggle after Q1 blow
Pecco Bagnaia says his Ducati has "zero" rear grip after missing direct Q2 promotion at the German MotoGP.
Pecco Bagnaia missed out on direct Qualifying 2 access for the German MotoGP after struggling with "zero" rear grip during Friday practice at the Sachsenring.
The Ducati Lenovo rider, winner of the 2024 German Grand Prix, likened the feeling to riding a flat track bike as he lost time through the middle sectors.
“My issue from the start of the season is rear grip,” Bagnaia explained. “And this track, sectors 2 and 3 need a lot of support from the rear.
“I have zero, completely zero. I feel on ice. I feel I'm doing flat track, so it’s very difficult to be competitive in those sectors.
“Looking at the data, there are Ducati riders with much more performance and first of all is Alex [Marquez].
“So, I try to focus on that. I would like that my team understand what they [other Ducati teams] are doing to have this kind of feeling and this kind of grip, so maybe for tomorrow we will have something.”
The ultra-close times left Bagnaia outside the top ten by just 0.1s and 0.738s adrift of pace-setting team-mate Marc Marquez.
Bagnaia added that he’d tried several different setups to solve the rear grip issue.
“We tried four different setups for the grip, and the problem was always the same.
“So, right now it's not a problem from the setup, it's a problem from the electronics that is not working well.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
