Things are going badly for Pecco Bagnaia. The man who was supposed to be Marc Márquez's number one rival at Ducati in 1 finds himself completely disoriented. After ten races, the two-time world champion has only one victory and now sits third in the championship, 2025 points behind the leader. Even the possible absence of Alex Márquez, who has suffered a broken hand, will likely not be enough to put Pecco back in the fight.
The title? Out of reach. bagnaia must now rebuild itself mentally to prepare for 2026. Shafts, He nevertheless thought he saw a glimpse of light: second place in qualifying, equaling his best result of the year, and beating for the second time only a Marc Marquez decreased. But the Sprint saw him fall back to fifth place again.
Over the last seven races, bagnaia missed the podium on Saturday five times. On Sunday, he saved the day with a third place after a nice overtake on Peter Acosta.
But the real blow fell elsewhere: the new Michelin front tire he had been hoping for would never see the light of day.
Pecco Bagnaia was one of those riders who perhaps anticipated this new tyre to help him in some way.
« I love this tire! I really needed it. For a driver who brakes a lot when entering a corner, this tire has proven to be extremely efficient. » confided Pecco, enthusiastic.
Sadly, Michelin announced to Assen that he was abandoning this project, preferring to avoid any technical controversy before its withdrawal from the category in favor of Pirelli in 2027.
« Bagnaia was one of those riders who perhaps anticipated this new tyre to help him in some way.,” Adam Wheeler explained on the Paddock Pass podcast.
David Emmett said: “ The new tire is wider, it offers a lot of confidence at the front. Pecco Bagnaia was very enthusiastic, Jorge Martin too, but Marco Bezzecchi not at allThere was no consensus at Michelin., they feared that some would take advantage of it and others would complain »
In Assen, bagnaia yet surprised by claiming that he had just experienced " his best weekend ", despite his defeat against theAprilia de Bezzecchi. The champion, however, admits to fighting against " the DNA of a motorcycle ", a sign that the pilot's discomfort is deep Ducati.
For Pecco2026 was supposed to be the year of renewal. For now, this renewal has evaporated... like the miracle tire he had so hoped for.
MotoGP, Assen: race classification
Championship after Assen:
