Pecco Bagnaia gives baffling response to cryptic Ducati MotoGP remarks
The mystery around Pecco Bagnaia’s recent comments about his Ducati deepens
Pecco Bagnaia gave a baffling response to questions about a comment he made regarding his Ducati MotoGP bike after the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The double world champion’s 2026 season has fallen off a cliff since the summer break, with the Italian unable to replicate his earlier podium form on the factory Ducati.
Bagnaia has grown more frustrated as his struggles have worsened, leading to a cryptic outburst following a tough Malaysian Grand Prix in which he was 13th, while his final lap was slower than the Moto2 times.
He then claimed that something that previously worked on his bike “doesn’t exist” and “hasn’t existed” since he won the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. Ducati’s Davide Tardozzi later responded that he had no idea what Bagnaia was talking about.
“It was a good move”
On Thursday at the Qatar Grand Prix, Bagnaia was pressed on what he meant by his comments, which led to a baffling answer from the Italian.
“I can’t get the media to talk about me because of good results, so I looked for another way, and it was a good move,” he said.
“People are still talking about it a lot; it worked.”
Looking ahead to the Lusail weekend, Bagnaia believes he can fight for a top-six result “if I can work well with the team.”
“I was a bit worried about coming here”
Bagnaia was one of 19 riders who signed a letter to MotoGP in Malaysia expressing their unhappiness at racing in Qatar amid the uncertainty of the Iran conflict escalating.
So far, the weekend has gone ahead without issue, though Bagnaia admitted he was “worried” about coming to Qatar still.
“It’s just as I expected. I can’t hide the fact that I was a bit worried about coming here, but I decided to trust MotoGP, IRTA, and the organisers completely, and I think they’ve worked to ensure our safety and provided us with almost everything we asked for,” he said.
“I think it’s best to work together. I expected a normal atmosphere in the paddock because we can’t be afraid of being bombed—just of getting stuck here if they close the airport. I trust them.”
