Valentino Rossi highlights Bagnaia’s lost edge on Ducati.

According to Valentino Rossi, Francesco Bagnaia has lost the qualities that once made him stand out on Ducati’s bike. He came into 2026 following a difficult season that raised questions throughout the paddock.

The two-time premier class champion found himself in a downward spiral last year, one that caught the team off guard. Bagnaia later said there were “too many voices” within Ducati offering their opinions, which only added to his confusion.

He ended up fifth in the standings, more than 250 points behind Marc Marquez, who missed the final four rounds due to injury. Bagnaia also finished behind Gresini’s Alex Marquez, Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and KTM’s Pedro Acosta.

Photo by Hazrin Yeob Men Shah/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Valentino Rossi weighs in on Bagnaia’s Ducati struggles

Rossi, speaking alongside other MotoGP Hall of Famers in a video posted to the championship’s official YouTube channel, gave his take on Bagnaia’s situation. The discussion took place back in the autumn.

Even so, Rossi’s comments carry weight given his close relationship with Bagnaia, who came through the VR46 academy.

Rossi even sat down with Bagnaia’s crew chief last year to try to get a better handle on why his form had dropped off so sharply.

He chalked it up to struggles with corner entry and higher-than-normal tyre degradation – areas where Bagnaia once had an edge over most of the grid.

“Pecco unfortunately is a bit lost, braking and entering, where he was so strong last season, now he has some difficulties”, said Rossi.

“I think when Marquez arrives in the box and goes that fast, psychologically it’s not easy. He’s a very precise rider. Do you know what his biggest problem is? His rear tyre drops a lot”.

“During the last laps, Pecco is slower, and last season, he was very strong in the last laps. Last season, Pecco was the rider who arrived to the last laps with his tyres in a better condition, and during the last laps, he was faster than the others”, he concluded.

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