MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo has voiced his confidence that Pecco Bagnaia can return to title-contending form in the 2026 season, despite a challenging campaign last year.
Bagnaia, a double MotoGP world champion, endured his most difficult season in 2025 with the factory Ducati team. He won only twice and finished fifth in the riders’ standings, a far cry from his previous top-two results. During the same season his new teammate Marc Marquez dominated on similar equipment, winning 11 grands prix and securing another world title.
The Italian has responded positively during the early 2026 pre-season, adapting more comfortably to Ducati’s GP26 machine. This improvement has helped spark optimism around his prospects.
Source: Crash.net
Speaking during the Sepang test for the official MotoGP website, Jorge Lorenzo said Bagnaia is still capable of competing at the front. He called Bagnaia “an incredible rider” with speed and precision, and said last year’s results did not reflect his true ability. Lorenzo expects that once Bagnaia feels fully at ease with his bike, he will demonstrate he is again a championship threat.
Lorenzo also offered perspective from his own career, explaining how small changes to a bike or the rules can have a big impact on a rider’s performance. He recalled his experience at Yamaha in 2014, when rule changes and new tyres altered the bike’s behaviour and affected his results.
Bagnaia’s struggles in 2025 were linked to a lack of front-end feel on the Ducati GP25, an issue that took time to diagnose and manage. That problem contributed to the inconsistency that cost him pace and confidence.
With the new season imminent, Lorenzo’s backing offers a strong endorsement for Bagnaia’s prospects. The MotoGP community will be watching closely to see whether the former world champion can rediscover the form that made him one of the sport’s top riders.
