After a nightmarish 2025 season, many were too quick to write off Francesco Bagnaia. Fifth in the championship, with only two wins, unable to keep up with Marc Marquez's blistering pace on an identical Ducati… and now threatened by the anticipated arrival of Pedro Acosta. But for Jorge Lorenzo, three-time MotoGP world champion, the verdict is clear: Bagnaia hasn't regressed. He simply had a technically challenging season.
The GP25 never really "spoke" to bagnaiaIts historical strength, namely braking and corner entry, evaporated due to a lack of confidence in the front axle, a problem ultimately linked to the rear ride height correction system.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez he racked up victories (11 in Grand Prix, 14 in Sprint) and secured a seventh world title, making the gap even more cruel.
Result: the credibility of bagnaia on the market in 2027 has wavered. And at Ducati, rumors of a replacement by Acosta have intensified.
KL event ⏩⏩⏩ x 2 🇲🇾#MotoGPLaunch #KualaLumpur26 pic.twitter.com/i1E0B4pqbR
- Ducati Corse (@ducaticorse) February 10, 2026
Jorge Lorenzo steps into the fray
Present at Sepang During the 2026 tests, Lorenzo did not hesitate to defend the Italian. Pecco is still a champion. He's an incredible pilotHe's incredibly fast, incredibly talented, incredibly precise, and he didn't demonstrate that last year. »
The Spaniard insists that the 2025 performance does not reflect the true level of the two-time world champion.
« His poor results do not reflect his potential, and I think that when he feels more comfortable on the motorcycle, he will show that he is a contender for the title. »
And the first wheel rotations of the Ducati GP26 seem to agree with him: bagnaia regained some feel for the game, particularly under braking, with a very solid racing simulation. Malaysia.
Lorenzo He speaks from experience. He too experienced a brutal downturn despite being a natural contender for the title.
« In this environment, where everyone is considered elite, details are very important. »
He goes back on crash.net during his visit to Yamaha : " I remember when I was with Yamaha in 2014; the previous year, I had battled Marc Marquez for the championship. »
Then the rules change. Harder tires. Two liters less gasoline.
« I was performing very well, but they changed the rules, they put on harder tires, they reduced the fuel by two liters, and the bike completely changed. »
« Viewed from the outside, It may not have seemed like much, but for me, it changed a lot of things.and my results were very poor at the start of the season »
The parallel is obvious: a seemingly minor technical change can destabilize a champion at the highest level.
La GP26 seems to have corrected the major flaws of the GP25. bagnaia confirmed feeling more natural "at the entrance to the turns, and his pace in simulation was at the level of the best.
But in a paddock where memories are short and 2027 contracts are already being signed, Lorenzo is right on an implicit point: bagnaia must strike hard immediately.
Because in MotoGP, as the Italian himself recently said, only the last races are remembered.
The question is therefore no longer whether Pecco He has the talent. The real question is: will he have the time to prove it before... Ducati Don't turn the page?
