Francesco Bagnaia found it “strange” that he was “struggling to be fast” at the United States Grand Prix, saying the Ducati GP26 didn’t handle the rear Michelin tyre well at COTA.
He put in his best showing of the season so far in Saturday’s Sprint Race. Bagnaia led from Turn 1, but Aprilia’s Jorge Martin caught him on the final lap. The decision to go with the soft rear over the medium may have played a role.
The choice proved crucial, as Martin took advantage late in the race while running on the medium rear. Bagnaia couldn’t build on that pace for Sunday’s main event, fading to a disappointing P10 finish.
The turning point came around halfway through, even though Bagnaia had run as high as fifth with three laps remaining. Meanwhile, his teammate Marc Marquez served a long-lap penalty but still managed to finish fifth, 6.444 seconds ahead of Bagnaia by full time.
Bagnaia admits tyre issues forced him into survival mode at COTA
Francesco Bagnaia put his struggles at the Circuit of the Americas down to rear tyre degradation, admitting he was simply trying to finish the race after burning through his medium compound in just eight laps. He was quick to place the blame on the GP26, not himself.
Bagnaia felt it was unusual for Ducati riders to struggle with tyre wear, noting that in the past, their bike had been gentle on tyres and allowed them to stay consistent. Even so, he saw some positives compared to earlier rounds.
He said: “In the Sprint, the tyre could have collapsed. But in the race, it should not happen that way. I also managed my riding to preserve the rear tyre.
“But in the end, it was eating away on the right side, without ever pushing. We still have a lot to understand. One strange thing is tyre management.
“The Ducati riders have always been good, and the bike has always been very smooth on the rear, allowing us to be consistent and preserve it. We’re working hard, and I think we’re making progress. We were faster than in Brazil, and we’re improving.
“Today I struggled; I was struggling to be fast.”
Di Giannantonio finished as lead Ducati rider while Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi took victory at COTA by 6.972s clear of Di Giannantonio with Acosta 2.475s ahead of him for KTM’s first podium since Round 1.
The only two Ducatis behind Bagnaia were both riding last year’s model – Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini) finished P11 while Franco Morbidelli (VR46) crossed P14 behind Suzuki’s Alex Rins who placed P13 for LCR Honda.
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