MotoGP, Misano: Pecco Bagnaia clings to Stoner to avoid a wreck, "I wish I always had him with me"

Francesco Pecco Bagnaia had experienced hell on home soil during the San Marino Grand Prix. At Misano, the two-time world champion had fallen through the cracks: outside the top 15 in the sprint, a crash in the main race, a premature retirement... and radio silence from the press. On Sunday evening, he locked himself away in a long technical meeting with Ducati.

But 24 hours later, the Italian driver showed a completely different face. Monday, on the same route as Misano, bagnaia climbed to 8th place in 1'30''933, 0''559 behind Peter Acosta (KTM), and a breath away from his teammate Marc Marquez, 6th. And what about the fall at the first corner? Quickly erased.

« It was important not to test new parts, but to work with existing material " he explained. Before implicitly tackling the technical errors of Ducati : " In Aragon and Jerez, tests with new parts have not yielded any results. So this time we decided to focus more on performance and my feelings. »

The work on weight transfer and adjustments has paid off: “ In terms of pace, I was very competitive. My best lap was on used tires of 21 laps, which I haven't been able to do lately. »

It remains to be seen whether this recovery will hold up in Grand Prix conditions. Asked about Motegi, bagnaia temporizes: " I prefer to remain calm. I certainly hope that we can apply what we have tried here in Japan.The team there will undoubtedly work hard to help me. »

« If we find the same feeling in Motegi, we can fight for the podium again. If not, we will continue to work step by step, but in the right direction.. » A measured, almost resigned speech, far from the conquering tone of Marquez, which is already aiming for 2026 after having folded the championship.

Pecco Bagnaia: “ Poggiali and Stoner recognized a lot of what I felt on track before I even said it. »

The Italian, however, recognizes the artificial advantage of the tests: " Here, the grip is already high during the weekend. It was extreme in some corners, but not as strong as in Barcelona. »

In the box Ducati, a shadow hovers: that of Casey Stoner, double world champion and first legend Ducati (title in 2007). Present all weekend, the Australian stayed on Monday to play mentor to a bagnaia in search of landmarks.

« It's great to have such a relationship with him.. Casey is extremely analytical, sometimes almost too much so, but that is precisely what is extremely useful. »

Alongside Stoner, Manu Poggiali, the driving trainer, completes this reassuring technical duo bagnaia : " They recognized a lot of what I felt on the track before I even said it.. »

With humor, he slips: " Stoner even worked in the mines for a while. He told me one day that he wanted to become an engineer.. It suited him pretty well today. »

The observation is clear: Pecco bagnaia clings to the experience of the ancients. If I could, I would always have him by my side.. It's certainly not realistic, but the opinion of former pilots is extremely valuable. We get along very well, we share similar points of view., and he works wonderfully with my team leader, Cristian Gabarrini »

And to conclude: " since 2021, it's like this: when Casey is there, we help each other, and for me, that's a huge support. » Words that sound like an addiction. Bagnaia makes no secret of the fact that he now relies on the instinct and technical memory of former champions to compensate for his own doubts. The question is now direct: bagnaia Is he still a champion master of his destiny, or a pilot on a drip? Stoner et Gabarrini, unable to compete without the tutelary shadow of legends Ducati ?

MotoGP Misano test: lap times