Six incandescent laps with the dream of being able to aim for victory before returning to the sad reality. The Mugello GP presented a hefty bill to Pecco Bagnaia, who remained off the podium. While the Italian round was supposed to be the turning point, it left the rider from Piedmont with a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.
Bagnaia's face in the post-race left room for very few words and interpretations, fully aware of the moment he is experiencing.
"I did six laps where I had everything right, then as soon as the front tyre dropped I started to go backwards like a shrimp - he began - I tried everything possible, I was going faster than Alex but I couldn't get closer and that's the truth. I get within four tenths and then I have to stay behind because the front tyre doesn't hold up. It's the same old story. At the beginning I was confident, I wanted to stay close to the leaders, but unfortunately it wasn't possible, because I also risked crashing."
Are you sad or angry about this Sunday?
"There is a lot of anger, I am disappointed because I know what I can do, I know I can win races, but I am not put in a position to fight. I did the whole race seeing what Alex and Marc were doing, trying to get closer, but every time I got back under them, I was risking it. In the end it was like Aragon in some ways and it's a shame."
In what direction does the work go from tomorrow?
"I don't know..."
In the confrontation with Alex and Marc, what is missing?
"I'm in limbo. Unfortunately, I can't get the bike flowing like in the past, I can't brake like Alex and Marc do, because I risk losing the front every time. In fact, I sense movement and we can't find solutions."
Why did you use the old fairing and not the new one?
"Because it is not the time to use different things and I would have risked further problems."
Do you think Alex struggles with Marc as he does with you?
"No, I don't. It's clear that Alex pays more attention when he fights with Marc, just like I do when I'm fighting with Academy riders."
You said before this race: if I don't have the feeling I want in Mugello, it means there is a problem...
"There is a problem. We are not managing to solve anything, and no one to date has been able to explain to me why this year I can't go like I always did before."
Could banging your fists on the table be the solution?
"I don't know what that would lead to. Everyone in Ducati is working, no one excluded. The fact is that we are not going anywhere. We improve little, but we are not going anywhere at the moment."
Is the fact that development is blocked for 2026 a problem?
"If we had to stay with exactly the same bike I would say yes. It's been nine races and my problem is still the same. You have a hard time changing the DNA of the bike, so I hope to find the square because otherwise I risk being in trouble even in 2026."
Do you think the world championship is lost?
"This is not the time to think about the world championship, because I need to find my speed again. I can't think about winning a title with races like that, where I have to stay behind and I can't do anything. I just have to hope that someone in front will make a mistake. I hope to find a solution, but in the current situation if nothing changes it is difficult."
Now it's on to Assen.
"Assen is a track where front-end feel and bike stability are key. If I were to find myself in Assen like here in Mugello I would struggle a lot."
You went to race direction about the contact with Marquez...
"In my opinion the contact with Marc was extremely normal, I consider it a race contact. Today they didn't penalize worse things in the race quite obviously. There was only a clarification, to tell the truth I don't know what they asked Marc. For me he waited to open the throttle because he didn't want me to cross the line and we touched, but that's normal."
Going back to the GP24 is just not possible?
"It's impossible - it's all frozen."
In Aragon you used the larger discs, here you didn't. How come?
"Because of the temperature... Putting on the bigger ones would have been risky, because we don't know if they would have reached the right temperature. Assen? I don't think I will use them."
Di Giannantonio said that when you don't have aggressive braking you are out of weapons....
"I was quite in trouble because I had a huge hole in the rear tyre and it was vibrating so much. At the point where Fabio passed me I couldn't carry the speed so he was able to jump in and pass me."
Do you think all the difficulties arising from this season can be a great learning process for you?
"I think that as I am a guy who never gives up, like today, all these difficulties can help me better understand so many situations and also so many people to better understand what to do in the future."