Francesco Bagnaia should be assessed based on his 2025 form rather than his peak years at Ducati, according to Carlos Checa. Even though Bagnaia only came away with 15 points, he showed signs of improvement at the United States Grand Prix.
He came close to winning the Sprint race before Jorge Martin passed him on the final lap, but a second-place finish still marked a step forward from recent performances.
In the main race, Bagnaia held his own early on against teammate Marc Marquez after out-qualifying him, but he faded later in the race. Luca Marini made a late move to drop him down to 10th by the end.
Carlos Checa: Francesco Bagnaia’s results still reflect 2025 form, not Ducati peak
Francesco Bagnaia should be judged against his 2025 form rather than his Ducati peak, Carlos Checa says. Bagnaia had his best weekend of the season in the United States despite only scoring 15 points.
The Italian looked on course for his first victory of 2026 during the Sprint race, only for old rival Jorge Martin to overtake him on the final lap. Still, second place finally gave him something to build on.
At the start of the main race, Bagnaia fought with teammate Marc Marquez, having outpaced him in qualifying, but he dropped back in the closing stages. Another last-lap overtake, this time from Honda’s Luca Marini, demoted him to 10th place.
Bagnaia blamed rear tyre wear for his regression at the end of the race, a familiar problem from last season. Still, Checa says it was a ‘positive’ weekend based on what we’ve come to expect from Bagnaia since 2024.
Aprilia may have been wrong to take a chance on Bagnaia
Checa’s warning is simple: Bagnaia isn’t the same rider he once was, and Aprilia may have made a mistake signing him.
Reports during the Austin weekend confirmed that Bagnaia had put pen to paper on a deal with Aprilia. The contract runs for four years, though only the first two are locked in.
Whether Aprilia’s decision to pursue Bagnaia came before or after Jorge Martin’s switch to Yamaha isn’t clear. Either way, Massimo Rivola is taking a chance on a rider who has clearly lost his edge.
The hope is that new surroundings and equipment might help Bagnaia find his form again. But if he doesn’t, the narrative that his titles were more about Ducati’s machinery than his talent will only grow louder.
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