Pecco Bagnaia’s Struggles Echo Yamaha’s Rossi Era, Says Poncharal
Veteran team boss Herve Poncharal believes there isn’t a solid reason for Pecco Bagnaia’s slump in 2025, given his recent run of success. After back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and an 11-win 2024, Bagnaia endured a dramatic downturn this season.
The factory Ducati rider managed only two grand prix victories in a year marked by wild inconsistency, and he failed to score any points on Sundays during the last five rounds. Once a perennial top-three contender since 2021, Bagnaia slid to fifth in the overall standings, more than 200 points behind team-mate and champion Marc Marquez.
The core issue appears to be a drop in confidence with the GP25’s front end, blamed largely on the bike’s new ride-height device. Despite attempts, Ducati never delivered a permanent fix, and Bagnaia’s surprise clean sweep in Japan turned out to be a rare exception rather than a trend.
Even with Bagnaia’s struggles, he still rode what many considered the best motorcycle of 2025. His difficulties ran alongside Marquez’s dominance, as the Spaniard racked up 11 grand prix wins and 14 sprint victories. Bagnaia has openly acknowledged that Marquez can mitigate problems on the bike in a way he cannot, highlighting a key gap in Bagnaia’s own ability to compensate for the machinery.
The tension between Bagnaia and Ducati management grew as their efforts to fix the issues yielded little tangible progress. Former Tech3 owner Herve Poncharal weighs in, stating that Bagnaia’s situation is puzzling. He notes the paradox of a night-and-day performance in Japan—an extraordinary victory emerging from a season of struggle—and suggests Bagnaia remains a capable rider despite the challenges.
Poncharal argues the Ducati remains the strongest bike on the grid, and that Bagnaia, who understands his team and vice versa, has no fundamental reason for the downturn. He also believes Marquez’s form has influenced Bagnaia’s results, drawing a parallel to Yamaha’s experience against Valentino Rossi in the early 2000s when multiple riders on the same bike could not replicate Rossi’s success.
As Poncharal recalls, during his time with Yamaha, there were four M1s on the track, yet Rossi dominated and left teammates chasing a similar performance. When data from Rossi’s performance was shared, other riders felt defeated, a dynamic Poncharal suggests mirrors the current situation with Marquez’s impact on Honda. The presence of a champion teammate can redefine team expectations and the trajectory of the season.
For context, Lewis joined Crash.net’s team in August 2024 after five years covering MotoGP for Motorsport Network.
