Pecco Bagnaia revealed that worsening braking problems forced him to retire from the 2026 Assen MotoGP despite fighting for fourth place during the race.
The Ducati Lenovo Team rider had just come out on top of a fierce battle with Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta before the braking issue became severe. With 10 laps remaining, Bagnaia was forced to return to the pits and retire.
Bagnaia admitted the outcome was far from what he had expected after gaining confidence from his Sprint Race performance. He believed he had the pace to fight near the front over the full race distance before the technical issue ended his challenge.
"I certainly wasn't expecting to finish the weekend with a retirement. After the Sprint I had a very positive feeling ahead of the full-distance race because I knew we could be competitive. My start wasn't too bad, and I tried to stay with the leaders while recovering positions during the early battles," Bagnaia said.
Although he remained competitive in the leading group, Bagnaia explained that he never felt fully comfortable on the bike. He struggled to slow the Ducati into the corners, with the problem becoming progressively worse as the race developed.
"I wasn't riding the way I wanted. I was struggling to slow the bike down and get it stopped. Just after halfway, the situation became really difficult to manage, too difficult to think about continuing the race," he added.
Bagnaia's retirement came only a few laps after Pedro Acosta also dropped out due to a physical issue affecting his right hand. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez recovered to finish seventh despite receiving a one-place post-race penalty.
The Assen retirement dealt another significant blow to Bagnaia's championship campaign. The Italian leaves the Netherlands trailing new championship leader Jorge Martin by 63 points, increasing the importance of the upcoming rounds if he is to reduce the gap in the 2026 MotoGP standings.
Baca Juga
Aprilia Racing mengonfirmasi Marco Bezzecchi tidak mengalami cedera setelah crash di Assen MotoGP 2026 dan siap memulai pemulihan menuju MotoGP Jerman.
Raul Fernandez menyebut masa depannya di MotoGP berada dalam posisi lebih baik setelah meraih podium dan kemenangan Sprint pada Assen MotoGP 2026.
Pecco Bagnaia mengungkap masalah pengereman memaksanya gagal finis di Assen MotoGP 2026 saat sedang bertarung di posisi empat besar.
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