MotoGP Thailand, Bagnaia starts poorly
Francesco Bagnaia comes from a very complicated season, perhaps the most troubled of his career. For this very reason, and in light of the encouraging pre-season tests, #63 expected to start strong in Thailand: instead, “Pecco’s” World Championship has started uphill, with a 15th place in Practice that already puts him under pressure, forcing him to fight for pole position by going through Q1.
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The Piedmontese’s Friday, in reality, started convincingly, following the indications from the tests: feeling regained in braking, a GP26 that already seemed fully in his hands; in the afternoon, however, he carried out setup tests that did not go as he hoped, and just at that moment it started to rain. Forced to perform the time attack with a non-ideal setup, Bagnaia finished with a lackluster 15th time. But, unlike in 2025, he knows he can unlock the bike’s potential much more easily.
Bagnaia’s words
“In the morning I felt quite good. In the afternoon we had some small changes to test, but I felt worse under braking also because of the wind. With the threat of rain and the wind, we decided to try the time attack earlier than expected“, was Bagnaia’s comment. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the best condition in terms of set-up. It was my mistake, as I wasn’t able to take advantage of the situation. Tomorrow we will give our best and try to get into Q2“.
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“I worked poorly and in a hurry, it wasn’t the best idea to try the time attack right away. I ruined my day a bit, but I have to accept it and do better”, he added. “I am confident about getting into Q2, the bike has potential. But it won’t be easy”.
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