Twelve months ago, Francesco Bagnaia secured a stunning Motegi double sweep, but this season's Japanese Grand Prix sprint told a vastly different, more challenging story for the struggling Italian rider.
The factory rider was forced into a late retirement during the 12-lap encounter after suffering severe rear tyre vibrations. The issue began escalating past the halfway mark, worsening progressively with every single lap until continuation became impossible.
This painted a stark contrast to teammate Marc Marquez, who dominated the sprint ahead of the chasing pack. Despite the retirement, Bagnaia acknowledged a minor step forward in overall bike feeling compared to the opening practice sessions.
Having missed out on a Q2 direct promotion following a mistake in the final corner of qualifying, Bagnaia started down the order. He initially fought his way up and looked set to contend for a ninth-place finish before the mechanical gremlins struck.
According to Crash.net, Bagnaia will now face an uphill battle starting Sunday's main grand prix from 13th on the grid, with the team urgently searching for a setup fix to cure the persistent rear grip issues.
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