The MotoGP gods are not kind to Pecco Bagnaia in Australia. As he arrived, before the Japanese Grand Prix, maintaining respectable positions despite his discomfort on the Desmosedici GP25, he hasn't put one wheel in front of the other for two races. This is simply unheard of for a top rider in MotoGP! Starting 11th at Phillip Island, he slipped to the penultimate position in the Sprint, behind Somkiat Chantra. The worst thing is that he received a penalty on top of that.
This is definitely a year to forget. Pecco Bagnaia is in hell, right at the bottom of the pit. As if his poor performance today wasn't enough, here he is taking a three-place grid penalty for tomorrow, for having hindered Marco Bezzecchi during qualifying. This therefore relegates him to 14th place at the start, in the fifth row. The incident was filmed, see for yourself:
Bez getting frustrated with @PeccoBagnaia there is an understatement! 💢😱#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/GMEq00uNZr
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2025
There are two ways of looking at the situation: on the one hand, we can say that it is a huge blow, which is true in itself. Grid position is crucial at Phillip Island, where the first big braking point is far from the starting position. So, we can imagine him falling even faster to the bottom of the standings, until he joins his teammate Michele Pirro. On the other hand, it doesn't change the result much, since he has no pace. So, It might be better to get a penalty like this (which is his first in 2025) now rather than when he's fit.
What do you think of this latest setback for the Ducati rider? Can he do better tomorrow than today? Tell us in the comments!
2025 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix Sprint Result:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
