MotoGP star causes a stir over Ducati set-up comments at Misano
Two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia has suggested Ducati won’t let him try a basic set-up to fix his ongoing MotoGP troubles.
A post-race exchange between Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio di Giannantonio was caught by DAZN cameras following the Misano MotoGP, where Bagnaia appears to claim Ducati won’t let him try a basic set-up.
It would be a big surprise if this is indeed the case, as Bagnaia’s current set-up is clearly not yielding the type of results we would expect.
With Ducati also playing catch-up to Aprilia in both the Teams’ and Constructors’ Championships, there’s no reason why the Italian manufacturer would not want Bagnaia to produce the best results possible, regardless of what set-up is being used.
Bagnaia’s ongoing troubles have been made all the worse by the form of team-mate Marc Marquez, who secured his second sprint and Grand Prix double in a row at Misano, which has seen him take over the series lead from Aprilia’s Jorge Martin.
The exchange between Bagnaia and di Giannantonio was caught by MotoGP broadcaster DAZN, with di Giannantonio telling Bagnaia to try a “normal set-up”.
However, Bagnaia responds by saying: “I’ve already tried everything. I’ll just tell you that soft or medium [tyres] make no difference to me at the front, they are completely the same.
“Even the used soft in the morning or the new one for qualifying is the same. It’s as if I were pulling the clutch as soon as I start braking.”
Di Giannantonio then says: “I understand, but in my opinion, if you use a fairly normal set-up like mine… I’m telling you, mine is really basic, in my opinion…”
But it’s Bagnaia’s next comment that has caused confusion, with the Italian offering a very brief and clear response: “They won’t let me do it.”
With Marquez firmly in title contention against both factory Aprilia riders, Bagnaia’s troubles in 2026 have been highlighted even more, as the 2023 and 2024 champion is only ninth in the standings.
The Italian, who will join Aprilia Racing alongside Marco Bezzecchi in 2027, is currently 131 points behind Marquez.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
