MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa offers "strange" advice to struggling Pecco Bagnaia
Dani Pedrosa has suggested an alternate approach for Pecco Bagnaia
Ex-MotoGP star and current KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa says Pecco Bagnaia “needs to stop thinking about results” amid his ongoing struggles at Ducati.
Double MotoGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia has endured a torrid run of form since the championship resumed from its summer break last month at the British Grand Prix.
In the last three rounds, Bagnaia has crashed out of all three grands prix, while extending his successive Q1 appearance run to four. Team-mate Marc Marquez, in contrast, has won five races in the last seven and now leads the championship.
Bagnaia has battled with a lack of rear grip all year, but before the summer break was able to fight for podiums.
Since Silverstone, however, the problem has gotten worse, and Ducati hasn’t been able to come up with an answer.
Tensions between Bagnaia and Ducati appear to be building again, after the former was caught on DAZN cameras at Misano saying his team “won’t let me” try a standard set-up on his GP26.
“He needs to focus more on riding…”
Pedrosa, a 31-time MotoGP race winner and pundit for DAZN, believes Bagnaia now has to ignore results and focus fully on his riding in order to improve.
“I know what I'm about to say will sound strange, because we're in the world championship and results are what matter most, but I think Bagnaia needs to stop thinking about results,” Pedrosa said on DAZN.
“He needs to focus on riding, on gradually regaining his riding form, so to speak.
“Riding comes back with feeling, that's clear. When you lack confidence, you can't ride comfortably.
“But when you're always thinking about the result, about not making Q2, not getting a front row start, or not being on the podium... you're going to judge everything else more negatively.
“I think it's a good time for him to forget, in a way, about the result.
“Being in the official Ducati team, with [Marc] Marquez winning alongside him, it's almost impossible to do, but let's say it would be almost the only way to start regaining his feeling.”
