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Technical glitches and persistent rear-tire grip issues have plagued Francesco Bagnaia's 2026 MotoGP campaign so far. With half the season remaining, the former world champion's inconsistent performance is a cause for concern.
Francesco Bagnaia stated that his Ducati continues to suffer from a lack of rear-tire grip – a problem that has hounded him since the start of the 2026 MotoGP season. The Italian has rebounded from a challenging 2025 season, emerging as a consistent contender this year, with four consecutive Sunday race podiums and a sprint victory in the last two months.
Despite three technical failures costing him a total of 40 points, he sits eighth in the standings during the summer break, 65 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin.
While these technical malfunctions are a source of frustration, Bagnaia asserts that his biggest problem remains the lack of rear grip, which prevents him from extracting the maximum performance from his motorcycle.
The issue is compounded by the fact that Ducati riders typically rely heavily on the rear tire to compensate for limitations in the bike's front end, making it more susceptible to wear.
"It's necessary, but I'm not going into the summer break happy because I know how much more I can achieve, and we're not doing it, so that worries me a bit," the three-time world champion said at Sachsenring.
Asked to assess his campaign so far, he added: "5.5. We are improving a lot, but we haven't solved the problem we've had since the first race, which is rear-tire grip. I have no grip from the rear; I can't use the rear to turn the bike and accelerate."
Bagnaia hopes that the factory Ducati team can follow the direction taken by Gresini, who found a solution after Alex Marquez struggled with the same problem during the initial non-European races.
"The only Ducati rider who has the same problems as me is Alex Marquez," the 29-year-old Italian added. "He had the same issues as me before Jerez, but then they resolved them. So I really hope this summer break helps the team understand what to do. Hopefully, we can figure out how to achieve the same, perhaps by following the same path."
Bagnaia underwent surgery on his right forearm this month but hopes to be fit for the next round at Silverstone on August 8.
The 2026 season is Bagnaia's final year with Ducati, as Aprilia confirmed in June that he would join their factory team alongside Marco Bezzecchi for 2027.
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