In the year In a 2024 interview with Neil Hodgson, David Tardozzi made a surprising judgment about Francesco Bagnaia that still rings true today.
Francesco Bagnaia He was the flag bearer of the factory. Ducati Since he made it to the factory machinery before the 2021 season, leaving Mark Marquez last year.
The Italian rider, who spent the first four seasons as a championship contender at Borgo Panigale, was plagued by issues that hampered his progress during his GP25 campaign.
The boss of Ducati David Tardozzi was a staunch ally of Bagnaya. But his constructive criticism of the 28-year-old during the campaign before the recently concluded campaign is still relevant today.
In 2025, Francesco Bagnaia, where did all this trouble go?
Comparison between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia 2025 Grand Prix
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David Tardozzi explains why Francesco Bagnaia needs to grow in 2024 in an interview with Neil Hodgson.
August 2024 on the Ducati Diaries Podcast With a former MotoGP rider Neil Hodgson, Tardozi Bagnaia has been detailed as to why he will not show his final form as a premier class rider.
Hodgson began by emphasizing that the Italian rider did not seem disgruntled, before asking the Ducati boss what it was like working with him in the box.
Tardozzi replied, “I think that’s one of the main things about Peco. It’s never stopped learning. It’s still growing.”
“I think we’re yet to see the best of Peko because not now, because I’m sure he’ll grow in the future. So he’s learning, he’ll learn a lot from his mistakes.”
“Sometimes he repeats his mistakes. Slowly, he brought this on board, and he became a better rider. I think there are many, many people like you who still think that Peco is not a champion.
But if you look at his performance, well he was very quick with Mahindra, he won a race with Mahindra that wasn’t really a great bike, but anyway if you look at his work since he started being in the factory team in 2021, he won his first race at Aragon.
“Since then he has participated in 55 races in Aragon, and won 24. Which rider has won half of the races in the last three years? I think he is the champion.”
Who is Ducati’s best choice to replace Francesco Bagnaia?
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David Tardozzi’s assessment of Francesco Bagnaia still rings true today.
The Ducati team principal’s words about Bagnaia came at the height of the Italian’s struggles with GP25 last term.
As the race weekend wore on, Bagnaia seemed frustrated by his inability to match the pace of his senior teammate in Marc Marquez, and Ducati’s engineers were none the wiser.
Bagnaya finds the secondary effects difficult to accept. And he enlisted the help of several outsiders, including Ducati legend Casey Stoner, to help him out of trouble.
Still, there was no change. He returned briefly to form at the Japanese Grand Prix, but that weekend’s top rankings quickly fell apart when he tired at Mandalika the following race weekend.
It remains to be seen whether we will see Bagnaya at his best in 2026. If he fails to do so, his time at Borgo Pangale may be limited.
