Francesco Bagnaia is fighting for his future as a factory Ducati rider after a torturous 2025, which saw Marc Marquez secure control at the Borgo Panigale team.
Marquez went inside Bagania When he entered the house Ducati earlier this year. But the Spaniard switched Bologna bullets to the team in 2025, leading Ducati to all three titles while Bagnaia was unable to adapt to the Desmosedici GP25.
Despite Márquez missing the last four rounds due to injury, the 32-year-old forward still finished the season with 545 points. Bagnaia scored just 288 points and finished the race fifth in the standings behind Alex Marquez (467), Marco Bezecchi (353) and Pedro Acosta (307).
Who is Ducati’s best choice to replace Francesco Bagnaia?
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Ducati’s ride height device in 2025 created a problem for Francesco Bagnaia
In the year It was said that the extent of the problem in 2025 was such Ducati has decided to part with Bagnaia When the contract expires in 2026. It is also indicated Bagnaia may take a pay cut to stay at Ducati.Prioritizing Marquez’s New Deal.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to seed number
Nobuasu Aoki believes Ducati is to blame for the Bagnaia’s problems in 2025, as their changes to the GP25’s ride height equipment are incompatible with the 28-year-old’s riding style. As such, the Italian often struggles to modify the GP25 at will.
Former Suzuki rider Aoki said, via Motosan: “Desmosedici has a hydraulic adjustment for suspension height adjustment, which seems to be improved every year.
“In 2025, a new method was installed on the fair, it seems that it is intended to control the rate of change of the height of the suspension.
“The recent hole shot and Bagnaia’s riding style were incompatible. Bagnaia wanted to make the bike’s rear skid as small and narrower as possible. But the tuning kit kept Bagnaia from achieving the sideslip angle he wanted.”
Ducati doesn’t want to waste time with the 2026 ride height kit ahead of its 2027 suspension
Change our mind: Francesco Bagnaia will not fight for the title in 2026.
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Ducati Bagnaia has privately admitted to struggling with their ride height equipment in 2025Their latest design changed the balance of GP25 and how braking happened compared to GP24 where the Italian was just 10 points shy of winning the riders’ title for a third consecutive season.
In fact, Pablo Nieto said that Luigi Daleigna told him before the Australian Grand Prix this October. Ducati didn’t have an “answer” to Bagnaia’s struggles. In the 2025 season. He headed to Phillip Island in the midst of a run of six DNAs in the final seven rounds.
Bagnaia ended the 2025 season by winning the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position, beating Marquez by 4.196s. He also won the Sprint at Motegi, and went on to win the Sprint at Seppang, as the curtain began to fall on the reprieve.
Now, the Turin native will have to hope he can adapt to Ducati’s changes to their ride height equipment for GP26. For the 2026 season, Ducati will not want to waste time adapting their ride height equipment as they will be suspended in 2027.
