Let's talk MotoGP: Ducati is drowning in a glass of water

The Indonesian Grand Prix was worrying for Ducati, and, as far as I can remember, it was the first time in a very long time that the Borgo Panigale firm was so out of sorts. Okay, so in the end, Aldeguer won by eight seconds in a GP24, and his teammate, Alex Marquez, was third. But this double podium finish shouldn't overshadow the distress of the brand's other riders, starting with Pecco Bagnaia, the two-time world champion. Ducati is going down the wrong path, and it could be costly.

 

The Bagnaia case, more than strange

 

If you don't understand why Bagnaia was last in both races, don't worry: no one has the answer. While he had dominated in Motegi, the Italian put in the worst performance by a championship star that I can remember. I've never seen a two-time world champion in such difficulty, it was just crazy. The Desmosedici GP25, obviously, had huge problems on the Mandalika trackMarc Marquez, even without his Sunday injury, had his worst weekend in 2025, and Fabio Di Giannantonio, on the only unofficial GP25, was far behind.

 

 

This tends to confirm my theory that the GP25 isn't such a good bike. All year, I've been hammering home that Marc Marquez, alone, makes the difference. We know he can “transforming a motorcycle’s weak points into strong points” according to his brother, and more or less adapt to any machine. We're still talking about a nine-time world champion rider who was competing in the top 3 with Honda in 2023, that's saying something. Di Giannantonio, while he had some good times in 2025, is still relatively disappointing, behind his teammate Franco Morbidelli in the general classification – even though he is objectively a better rider. How can this gap be explained? By a total illegibility of his machine, which, sometimes, for no reason, no longer works as it should. In Japan, he was comfortable the first day, but completely lost on the other two. In Brno, he found himself fighting for 16th place, while three races earlier he had been on the podium.

Obviously, this unpredictable GP25 is only consistent in the hands of Marc Marquez, which is saying something. The GP24, like the GP23 and GP22 before it, adapts to everyone, and succeeds with drivers with quite different qualities. In fact, something is wrong with Ducati. I'll take a moment to address the infamous Marquez bias theory: no, I don't think Tardozzi, Dall'Igna, and the others favored Marc in the development of the bike. If Bagnaia had won that championship, it would only have cemented his legend in Italy, and certainly wouldn't have done Ducati any harm in terms of communication.

It's counterintuitive, but Bagnaia's underperformance at Mandalika was so huge that it serves his purpose. He can't ride like that, it's not possible, something has to be done. And Ducati, who has never found himself in such difficulty with a factory rider for a very long time – it was less bad for Enea Bastianini in 2023 –, must admit that there is a problem.

 

Ducati, communication to be reviewed

 

 

Now for the second topic; Davide Tardozzi, team manager of the Ducati Lenovo Team and incidentally the first winner of a Superbike race, has not made only good choices in his communication. In Indonesia, a rumor was circulating in the paddock: Ducati had Pecco try Franco Morbidelli's GP24 during the Misano tests. This was confirmed during an interview MotoGP.com by Uccio Salucci, director of the Ducati VR46 team, as well as by Morbidelli himself. But yet, Tardozzi and Ducati have not admitted anything, maintaining the pressure of secrecy on this seemingly trivial matter.

But wait… it wasn't that bad, was it? This test was perfectly legitimate, and neither Salucci nor Morbidelli would have thought it was a secret to be hidden. Ducati, by maintaining absolute silence, got itself tangled up in a mess—or drowned in a glass of water, to regain the title. There was nothing to argue about in this test, but Tardozzi's defensive attitude was completely inappropriate. Pecco Bagnaia, when questioned in turn, claimed that he "said what he was told to say," which only made matters worse, thereby confirming the prevailing code of silence.

This season, I find Davide Tardozzi is particularly putting himself forward. I have the impression that being in the spotlight doesn't bother him at all, so to speak, but his outings sometimes lack consistency... even tactful. In fact, one of his statements shocked me at the end of the race. Pecco Bagnaia, who had fallen from last place, did not show up in the mixed zone, given his disappointment. If he didn't want to show himself like that, there was a reason. Tardozzi, after the race, said of his driver that he had cried, that he was devastated. What message is sent to the press? Was it really necessary to betray the condition of a rider who, admittedly, is not at his best, but who has still made Ducati shine recently? Is this really the best way to consider Bagnaia as a pillar?

I'm curious to know what you think of Ducati and Davide Tardozzi these days. Do you share my opinion? Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport