Pecco Bagnaia briefly panicked on arrival in Aragon – and how it passed

Two-time MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia was a shadow of his former self on his factory Ducati at the races in Silverstone, England: 17th in the Sprint and a strange slip-up in the Grand Prix, finishing in a similar position, resulted in a total of zero points. In the overall standings, next year’s Aprilia factory rider is currently in eighth place with 143 points ahead of this coming weekend’s races at Aragon.

“When I arrived here on Tuesday, I was a bit worried,” the Turin native told a small group of journalists on Thursday. “I checked the weather forecast and it said it would be at least 38 and up to 42 degrees Celsius. But then I realised the temperatures are a bit lower. If you’re racing here at 42 degrees, that can become a problem.”

“This is a completely different story to Silverstone, and I’m sure Ducati has significantly more potential,” Pecco noted. “That’s down to the grip levels and the track layout; it’s more like Brno here. And this is the only anti-clockwise circuit where I feel comfortable. I struggle with tight corners, but here there are lots of long, fast left-handers – that suits me better.”

Bagnaia: “I have to remain realistic”

Last year, Bagnaia finished third in the Aragon Grand Prix behind his Ducati teammates Marc and Alex Márquez. That gives him confidence, as does the fact that his crew chief, Cristian Gabarrini, is back on board following an accident. “At the same time, though, I have to be realistic,” emphasised the 29-year-old. “Last race weekend was a disaster. Last year I had major difficulties under braking, but the grip wasn’t bad – this year it’s exactly the other way round. I’d say that a top-five finish is a realistic target.”

Bagnaia cited grip levels and lower tyre wear as the main reasons for Ducati’s expected greater competitiveness at MotorLand compared to its main rival, Aprilia.

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28.08.2026 - 08:55