Francesco Bagnaia finally ended his point drought since the summer break. Amid a tough weekend for Ducati in Austria, the factory rider found a glimmer of hope at Spielberg. He finished sixth in the sprint race and seventh in the grand prix—a result that might not seem extraordinary for a two-time world champion, but enough to halt a negative trend that had echoed his struggles throughout 2025.
Before arriving in Austria, Bagnaia had not scored a point since the mid-season interval. Moreover, he had missed direct Q2 qualification for four consecutive weekends, dating back to the German Grand Prix. Friday at Spielberg started poorly: he once again failed to break into the top ten. But Saturday brought a change. Bagnaia cleared the Q1 hurdle and secured seventh on the grid.
Interestingly, the Turin native attributed his improved performance to a comment made by Dani Pedrosa on DAZN the previous week. “I used what Dani Pedrosa said on DAZN last week,” Bagnaia said after the sprint race. “That maybe I needed to do more laps, understand the bike better to be able to control the results. And it was a good suggestion.”
With that advice in mind, Bagnaia treated the Saturday sprint as a test session. Instead of using the faster soft tyre, he opted for the medium compound that would come into play on Sunday. “We decided to go with the medium because tomorrow the race will be very long and I needed to understand things more,” he explained. This approach shows Bagnaia is seeking a comprehensive understanding of the bike's character, not just chasing instant results.
Changes also occurred on the technical side. On Saturday morning, the team made a set-up adjustment that Bagnaia said worked. “This morning we tried something different on the set-up and it was luckily the correct direction. From the first laps, with wet patches, I was feeling a bit better. So I was able to stop the bike more, use the rear more to turn and the grip wasn't that bad,” he stated. He was vague about the nature of the change, calling it “something that we already did, but in a different way.”
Unfortunately, Sunday was not as bright as Saturday. Bagnaia admitted conditions felt worse, especially as Ducati grappled with brake issues. Nevertheless, he was the only rider able to get close to his factory teammate, Marc Marquez, who was dominant. The result in Austria may not be a podium, but at least Bagnaia showed signs of a revival.
The next challenge is Motegi, the track where he suddenly rediscovered winning form a year ago, before inexplicably losing momentum again. Will Pedrosa's advice and his new approach bring Bagnaia back to winning ways? We'll find out in Japan.
Baca Juga
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