Francesco Bagnaia: Third last year became "like a miracle"
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia targeting MotoGP top-three every weekend in 2026: "I don't have much more to ask from the bike.”
Francesco Bagnaia may have felt frustrated with a pair of third places in last year’s Thai season-opener but such a result was “like a miracle” later in the season.
The double MotoGP champion stood on the lower step of the podium ten times during the opening half of the year - alongside victory in COTA and a runner-up finish in Qatar - as he battled to find corner-entry confidence on the GP25.
But the second half of the season saw much greater extremes, Bagnaia winning three races but failing to score a point on 13 other occasions.
Pre-season testing on the Ducati GP26 has seen Bagnaia look far more consistent, setting the fourth fastest lap at last weekend’s Buriram test alongside a Sprint simulation pace beaten only by Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura.
“I’m looking forward. The test went well. We had time to test everything and with a good potential,” GPone.com quotes Bagnaia as saying ahead of this weekend's season opener.
“Much more prepared than last year.
“But let's see, because last year I finished third here. And in the last part of the season, to finish third was like a miracle. So I need to try to work well and be ready to fight for it.”
The Italian, who eventually slipped to fifth in the world championship, said last year’s woes meant he’s approaching 2026 with a new mindset.
“Last year was a good lesson for me. Because sometimes you can adapt to things, but sometimes it's impossible to adapt to the things.
"So remaining more calm, working better, with a better mentality, and just try to enjoy every result as the best you can - so this will be the mindset.”
And technically?
“I think I still have some margin, some areas that during the weekend I would like to work on. But right now, I don't have much more to ask from the bike.”
Bagnaia also revealed he’s branching out from relying on braking as his main strength.
“Now everyone's braking super hard, so I'm starting to use other areas that are competitive with our bike,” he said.
In terms of his 2026 targets, Bagnaia needs to see podium finishes go from miracle to mundane.
“I'm in the factory Ducati team, so best bike, and the results need to be top three every next weekend. The objective is that one, but I just want to start with calm and try to improve myself.”
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