Ducati’s rear tire ‘destroyed itself’ during Sunday’s painful United States Grand Prix, according to Francesco Bagnaia. Valentino Rossi has already identified the problem.
Saturday Bagnaya It was a corner affair to win the sprint race before former rival George Martin passed on the final lap. Still, the first platform of any statement gave him much-needed optimism.
The Italian looked strong at the start of the main Grand Prix as he battled with teammate Marc Marquez, but fell behind as the race went on. After falling behind Luca Marini shortly before the checkered flag, he crossed the line 10th.
Who was the jockey in Austin?
Let us know in the comments!
‘The risk of an accident was too high’ – Francesco Bagnaia at the US GP tire woes
Bagnaya is more than 7.5 seconds late Ducati After GP26 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio struggled in the early stages. This shows the deterioration of his speed.
Contact the media including Speed ​​weekHe put the return to high rear tire wear. When the race was over, he had little to catch and was afraid of an accident.
Bagnaia insists he ‘tried everything’ to manage the tyre, but could not find a solution. Not including Brazil’s DNF, his average finish this year is 7.6.
“We have a real problem with rear tire wear,” said the two-time MotoGP champion. I tried everything to treat the tire correctly, nothing to provoke a slide, but even with this riding style, the tire destroyed itself.
“In the last few laps, the risk of falling was too high. In the last lap, Luca Marini took me out with a right hand.”
What Valentino Rossi said about Francesco Bagnaia’s tire woes
Speaking at last year’s MotoGP Hall of Fame dinner, Rossi said rear tire wear is Bagnaia’s biggest problem.
RossiThe graduate, who serves as a mentor to the VR46 Academy, explained: “Pico is slow in the last laps, and last season (2024), he was very strong in the last laps.
“Last season, Peco was the rider who got to the last lap with the tire well, and was faster than the others in the last laps.”
Rossi met with Bagnaia’s crew chief To try to understand his failure last year, but even after the change of equipment, confusing issues continue.
Perhaps the only consolation for Bagnaia is that the other Ducati riders are having similar problems maintaining their performance. Even Marquez did not manage a podium in the first three Grands Prix.
Bagnaia is currently 9th in the championship, one place and three points behind last year’s 2nd place Alex Marquez.
Receive competition news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
