Let's talk MotoGP: Pecco Bagnaia can't ride like this anymore

A few hours after the French Grand Prix, Pecco Bagnaia stated that this weekend was in the top 3 of his worst in MotoGP. Granted, I'm not in his head, but I know his career pretty well from writing about it, and I can say with some confidence that this statement is a bit inaccurate: it's the worst, beyond debate.

 

Nothing was going right

 

Pecco Bagnaia, that I thought would be able to remotivate himself after the Spanish Grand Prix, was simply not up to the challenge. It pains me to say this, because readers of this column know how much I appreciate the Italian driver. For confidence, it was absolutely necessary to score some points on this cursed circuit, which has never yet succeeded at the highest level. In fact, he has suffered disappointment after disappointment at Le Mans for several years. A terrible retirement in 2022 just after being overtaken by Enea Bastianini, and another crash during Sunday's race in 2023, following a collision with Maverick Vinales. Then, in 2024, a mechanical problem put an end to his Sprint, before Marc Marquez beat him in the final moments of the Grand Prix to gain second place.

 

 

Since his Moto2 victory in the 2018 season, he has never really shone at Le Mans. But this is more serious than anything I could have mentioned before. First, he was not up to scratch in terms of speed. As has been the case since the beginning of the year, he has not been able to attack on the Desmosedici GP25. He had been doing better for two rounds with more respectable performances in qualifying, but this, Quartararo beats him by seven tenths on a lapHe started sixth behind the Frenchman, the two Marquez brothers, Aldeguer, who was only in his sixth race, and Maverick Vinales, while we're at it.

During the Sprint, he suffered his first crash in a race this season. The problem with "playing for consistency"—which is something of a myth, he'd like to go faster—is that a single retirement is immediately very penalizing statistically speaking. On top of that, his morale, already close to zero, must not have been positively impacted.

 

Pecco Bagnaia's Black Sunday

 

Come on, let's refocus. After all, his opponents have already made blunders this year too. The problem is that, in tortuous conditions, Bagnaia lost everything on SundayOn the one hand, he failed to capitalize on the good momentum that the Spanish Grand Prix could have generated. On the other, he buried himself, making mistakes that you can't afford to make at this level of competition.

I've seen many defend the Italian based on two arguments. First, that he made the right tire choice, and second, that he got knocked down by Enea Bastianini. For me, Both of these statements are fallacious and I will try to convince you..

 

Poisoned gums

 

 

First of all, I think the right choice for the favorites was indeed the slick option at the start. Putting on this poisonous rain tire was another way to race to their doom. You might think I'm crazy, but I have an explanation. At the start, the track was rather dry. From then on, Marc and Alex Marquez chose to switch to slicks to be able to attack well in the first laps, gain confidence, and have control over the situation. Bagnaia, by staying on rain tires, was one of those who took a gamble, along with Zarco, Oliveira, and the others. So, he didn't have the best rubber at the best time, which wasn't the case for Marquez who adapted to what the track told him. And that is a mistake.

Last year, I had, legitimately, I think, criticized Martin for not having followed Bagnaia's strategy when the rain was falling on the Misano track. But there, Why didn't Bagnaia imitate Marquez?, which, in addition to being his rival, is historically the reference in such moments? Yes, the weather forecast announced continuous rain, but those who know the soul of Le Mans know that you have to trust only your instincts. It's easy to see this after Zarco's victory.It could have easily stopped raining at any moment, and the Marquez brothers, among others, would not have been penalized more than that, unlike Johann who had nothing important to play for in the general classification and who would not have been talked about if he had retired or finished outside the top 10.

His installation tour proves me right, because, as Dani Pedrosa pointed out, we saw him raise his arms, as if he were telling himself that he had made another mistake in his choice of tireThis is not the best way to approach a race, especially given his situation in the championship.

 

A predictable clash

 

This good strategic choice, which turned out to be a tactical error, did not put him in the best conditions at the start. Both in terms of sensations on the handlebars and mentally. As a result, his takeoff was completely missed, and his approach to the first corner was catastrophic. He braked much too early, and was in 12th place at the time of his fall.

 

 

Behind came Enea Bastianini, therefore, much faster and on the inside. The Tech3 driver, on the kerb, hit Bagnaia and went off course. Obviously, he's wrong, I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. But Bagnaia knows that the first corners are crucial in this day and age, and that starting from so far back means exposing yourself to major risks. This is true in dry conditions, but even more so when the track is unreadable and some are on slicks while others have grooved rubber.He put himself in a situation that was far too delicate for his status and he was the first to admit it at a press conference.

Do you agree with my analysis? I'll come back to his championship chances later, as this article is already quite long. Tell me what you thought of it 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