Pecco Bagnaia's Ducati Struggles in Thai MotoGP
The Thai Grand Prix marked a disappointing end to Pecco Bagnaia's hopes for a fresh start in the MotoGP season. Despite his promising winter testing form, including a fourth-place finish at the Buriram circuit, Bagnaia's performance fell short of expectations, finishing in ninth place.
The former double champion aimed for a podium finish, but his weekend performance peaked at seventh place in FP1. Bagnaia's struggles continued as he failed to reach Q2 and finished the Sprint in ninth place, battling wheelspin throughout the race.
Despite three riders retiring ahead of him, Bagnaia's race ended in ninth place, 18 seconds behind the winner, Marco Bezzecchi. This result ended a remarkable streak of 88 premier-class grands prix with at least one Ducati rider on the podium.
Bagnaia's post-race comments revealed his frustration, stating, 'I never pushed, because I cannot push, just to control the rear tyre.' He attributed his performance decline to tire wear, especially during the final laps when he was closing in on the leading group.
Teammate and reigning champion Marc Marquez, who finished fourth, was also affected by wheel rim damage. The top Ducati rider, Fabio di Giannantonio, finished in sixth place.
Aprilia and KTM made significant improvements, with Aprilia's four riders in the top five and KTM securing second place. Bagnaia acknowledged the strong performance of his competitors, stating, 'The others made an improvement and we did a step back.'
Despite the setback, Bagnaia remains optimistic about Ducati's future, believing they will 'be back where it belongs' in the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix. He expressed confidence in the team's ability to regain their competitive edge, stating, 'I'm convinced that Ducati will be back where it belongs.'
As Bagnaia leaves Buriram, he holds tenth place in the world championship with eight points, while Fabio Di Giannantonio is currently the top Ducati rider in seventh place, 20 points behind early title leader Acosta.
