Pecco Bagnaia had a mixed Saturday at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia . Starting only tenth on the grid after a very difficult qualifying session, the Italian rider managed to snatch sixth position in the short race thanks to a blistering start. However, beyond this result, the feeling on the track remains particularly worrying due to a chronic lack of grip that is prematurely destroying his tires.
A persistent slippage problem and premature wear of the rear tire
Particularly insightful in his analysis of telemetry data, the Italian rider pointed to the major shortcomings preventing him from competing with the best on the Malaysian track. "Compared to the other Ducati riders, what's clear from the data is that as soon as I start to lean the bike into a corner, the rear end starts to slide and only stops when I'm completely straight on corner exit. There's a total lack of grip, which leads to excessive wear on the rear tire . This doesn't allow me to ride the way I'd like, because there are so many banked corners on a circuit like this: never being able to lean makes everything much more difficult . If you add to that the high tire wear, you see that a compound that lasts a little longer for others only lasts three laps for us ," he told Sky Sport.
A flying start for Pecco Bagnaia in Malaysia
Caught out by rapid tire degradation in the opening meters, the Italian had to fight hard to maintain his position before the inclement weather changed everything. “ I was also lucky to see the rain, because by the third lap, my rear tire was already worn out and riding had become impossible . My luck, if you can call it that, was getting an excellent start, a good first braking point that allowed me to build a good lead. From then on, I did everything I could to follow the rider in front of me, but I had no choice: I went wide and wore out the rear tire far too quickly compared to its normal lifespan. It's a shame, but sixth place is still better than my other recent results, so we'll work on that .”
A huge challenge ahead of Sunday's long race
Aware that achieving consistent performance over a full stint is highly unlikely, the Italian champion remains cautious about making adjustments before the main race. “ The goal is to go for it, do our best, and manage the situation . Until two years ago, we were very good at tire management. We'll try to find a solution, and we know that, technically, there's not much left to do, but perhaps we can surprise ourselves . I know my capabilities perfectly well, as we demonstrated last year in Japan, but otherwise, we know we're not capable of repeating those performances .”
Do you think Pecco Bagnaia will be able to overcome his grip issues and make it back up the field on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!
Sprint Result at the 2026 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix:
Ranking credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
