Ducati’s dominance slipping? Francesco Bagnaia says rivals are closing in

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Francesco Bagnaia admits his struggles at Ducati have now stretched over a year, as he heads into the French Grand Prix looking for a way back to form.

Bagnaia heads to Le Mans sitting ninth in the standings and ranks just fourth out of Ducati’s six riders. In many ways, this was the track where things began to slip last season.

He had taken a podium at Jerez just before, but left Le Mans empty-handed after crashing out of the Sprint and then coming home 16th in tricky wet conditions. It was the first of eight DNFs he’d collect by season’s end.

Speaking to Sky Italy on Thursday, Bagnaia said Ducati had actually solved the lack of front feeling that plagued him throughout the 2025 season, and yet his results haven’t markedly improved.

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images

Francesco Bagnaia opens up about Ducati’s ‘nervous’ bike

Bagnaia picked up podiums in the USA and Spain Sprints, but his Grand Prix finishes so far read P9, DNF, P10, DNF. His most recent retirement was down to a technical issue, but the bigger concern is how much the character of the bike has shifted.

Back when he was contending for championships – and winning them – he relied on being able to push hard through corners. Now he says that approach no longer works.

“It’s a pretty difficult time for Ducati in general, which is definitely not working as we expected,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been in this situation for over a year, so I’m struggling quite a bit, and it’s strange because this year I feel better on the bike, I have more feeling, especially at the front, but I still can’t do what I want.