Francesco Bagnaia is facing a growing challenge in his MotoGP title defence as persistent tyre degradation continues to undermine his race-day performances.
While the Italian has shown competitive pace in sprint races, Sundays have told a different story. At the recent United States Grand Prix, Bagnaia looked capable of fighting for victory after an encouraging sprint result. However, the main race followed a now familiar pattern. Despite a solid start and a more measured approach, he slipped from fourth to tenth in the closing stages.
The issue is not new. Similar struggles were evident earlier in the season, including races in Thailand and Brazil. Bagnaia admitted he is unable to ride at his preferred intensity, instead focusing on managing the situation just to reach the finish.
At the centre of the problem is the Ducati GP26’s front-end performance. Bagnaia explained that the bike lacks sufficient turning capability at the front, forcing him to rely heavily on the rear to initiate corners. This riding style places excessive stress on the rear tyre, accelerating wear over race distance.
Source: Crash.net
As grip fades, the situation becomes increasingly difficult to control. By the final laps, Bagnaia is often riding on the limit, with little margin for error and a higher risk of crashing.
The concern appears to extend beyond a single rider. Fabio Di Giannantonio has reported similar issues despite strong qualifying performances. Having started from pole position in recent races, he has also struggled to maintain pace over a full race distance.
Di Giannantonio pointed to the same underlying weakness, highlighting the need for better front-end support under braking and corner entry. According to him, the problem is less noticeable with fresh tyres but becomes increasingly evident as the rear begins to degrade.
These consistent observations suggest Ducati may be dealing with a broader technical limitation rather than individual rider preferences.
Unless improvements are made to the GP26’s front-end behaviour, Ducati riders are likely to continue facing difficulties sustaining performance over full race distances. For Bagnaia, resolving this issue could prove crucial in keeping his championship campaign on track as the season progresses.
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