Double winner Pecco Bagnaia crashed: “The whole weekend felt impossible”

On Saturday, Pecco Bagnaia finished the sprint in the final lap with a shredded rear tyre after pitting. Yet Motegi is actually his forte: the Ducati factory rider won the last two Grands Prix in Japan; in 2025, he led the main race from start to finish and had also triumphed in the sprint. This year, starting from 13th on the grid, the circumstances were different.

He got off to a good start: as early as the first lap, Bagnaia had moved up from 13th to 9th place. Like all the riders, he was on the hard rear tyre on Michelin’s recommendation. After that, however, he was unable to make any significant progress in the midfield and crossed the finish line in eighth place, around 20 seconds behind the winner and his Ducati-Lenovo team-mate Marc Marquez.

Willkommen zum Rennen in Motegi

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Pedro Acosta

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Fans

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Pecco Bagnaia

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Jorge Martin

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Start des Rennens

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Jorge Martin

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Ai Ogura

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Fermin Aldeguer

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Pedro Acosta

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Jorge Martin und Marc Márquez

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Raúl Fernández

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Enea Bastianini

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Ogura und Fernández

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Luca Marini

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Marc Márquez gewinnt das Rennen

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Jorge Martin, Marc Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Motegi

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Bagnaia was impressed by the hard tyre: “It was a pleasant surprise, because at least I was able to get a bit more out of it,” he said, adding self-critically: “It was a mistake on our part as riders not to have tried it out beforehand.” Michelin had described the hard tyre as a ‘back-up’ beforehand, “so you try not to use back-up tyres.” Bagnaia rode on the hard rear tyre for the first time during the warm-up, which had been extended by 10 minutes. “We’ve had a similar situation in the past where the hard tyre was the best choice.”

In 2025, Bagnaia won the Japanese Grand Prix

The main problem remains the lack of grip on the rear tyre. “I can’t do what the fastest riders are doing,” explained the two-time world champion, who remains in the midst of a sporting crisis. It was particularly bitter: “I was really strong here last year, so I had a clear idea of what I’m capable of. And all weekend it felt impossible.” He didn’t blame his team; more simply wasn’t possible.

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Bagnaia congratulated Ducati on its 100th victory since Gigi Dall’Igna took over in November 2013: “Everyone knows Gigi; he’s done an incredible job.” He described the title battle between Marquez and Jorge Martin as “fantastic”. Ducati will find it difficult in Indonesia; Australia suits Marquez, Malaysia suits Martin more, and Valencia suits Marquez again. Bagnaia’s prediction: the title won’t be decided until Valencia. Thanks to Alex Marquez’s retirement, he is back in eighth place in the World Championship with 164 points.