Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) after finishing 13th: Flew out of the pits in frustration

The race weekend in Aragon got off to a far from ideal start for two-time MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia. The 29-year-old Ducati ace still had a chance to break into the top 10 during his final fast lap in the afternoon, but then skidded into the run-off area at the final corner and nearly ended up in the gravel. Bagnaia, who was left with only 13th place as a result, appeared to be furious about the mistake whilst still on his bike and then rolled into the pit lane.

As a result, Marc Marquez’s (3rd) team-mate will have to battle his way through Q1 on Saturday. “I didn’t expect that,” admitted Bagnaia. “I’d actually expected to be much faster here. But unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan. My feeling has changed since Silverstone. At Silverstone and the Sachsenring I felt confident and thought we’d be improving. The results were better too. But I haven’t felt so good since Silverstone. I was having problems with the usual things – I was at risk of crashing even at very low speeds.”

Bagnaia was angry with himself

Pecco Bagnaia then spoke about the frantic final stages: “On the last lap, I tried everything to get into the top 10. Then I went wide in the final corner and had to cut across. I didn’t stay in the pits afterwards. I was in a state of panic and very angry with myself for not managing a single decent lap. In a situation like that, there’s a risk of saying things without thinking and, as a result, failing to appreciate the team’s work. It was good that I took some time on my own to calm down. I then came back to the pits later and we had a detailed discussion with the team.”

“What I’m lacking most is braking power going into the corners. The rear-wheel grip is also causing me problems. To be honest, the grip on the track looks quite good because it’s actually more consistent than elsewhere,” the Italian continued. “But my problem is this: when I turn in, I immediately lose the rear wheel without doing anything. When I open the throttle – even by 10 or 15 per cent – I lose the rear end. Even before I’ve fully straightened the bike out, there’s a lot of movement in it. It is what it is. I think the team have a good idea for tomorrow. I hope it will work. Alex Márquez seems to have made the difference here, so I’ll be looking at his data as well.”

Bagnaia was wearing an electronic massage device on his hand during the media session and said: “It’s magnetic therapy – I’ve got some inflammation there. Of course, you can set up the bike better when your body is fully fit. But fortunately, my inflammation isn’t holding me back when it comes to speed.”

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29.08.2026 - 08:35