There’s no point in hiding the fact that Pecco Bagnaia hasn’t started 2026 on the right foot, and he’s the first to admit it. He didn’t achieve the results he wanted or hoped for in either Thailand or Brazil, so the weekend in Austin will be particularly important. Because this is a track where he’s been fast in the past, and where he won last year. “Yes, I won, but Marquez crashed,” he quickly points out.
But CoTa suits you well.
“I always have fond memories of this circuit; I really like it even though it’s one of the toughest in the championship. The weather looks good for the weekend—there’ll just be a bit of wind tomorrow—and I think we can do a great job.”
What’s the goal?
“It will be important to figure out why, as happened in Brazil, I’m competitive during practice sessions but then struggle a lot on Sunday. We need to improve.”
Are you in the same situation as in 2025?
“It’s different, because last year it was hard for me to be consistent and improve even during practice sessions, whereas now I can feel the differences in the setup and make progress; I only struggle in the race. It’s better to be in this situation, but we need to figure out what to do.”
Could this track help you?
“Austin is completely different from Goiânia. Qualifying is important, as always, but there are more overtaking opportunities. Above all, it will be important to be fast on used tyres.”
Bezzecchi won the first two GPs; could Marquez feel the pressure on this track?
“How old is Marquez? (smiles). No, I think he’s just really happy to be here and wants to enjoy this weekend.”
Let’s go back to Brazil—with a clear head, what do you think about what happened with the track surface issues and the shortened race distance?
“Speaking as a rider, the track is nice; it’s true there were some issues, but I also saw efforts to resolve them and allow us to race. The circuit wasn’t ready for us, but we managed to have a normal weekend. They’re working on it for next year, but there were some problems.”
Do you think the FIM should change the way it inspects new circuits?
“It’s hard to say. There are rules that can be interpreted; for example, tracks should be at least 4.5 kilometers long, and Goiânia is 3.8. I think that in the future we should definitely have the opportunity to do a test before the GP so we can identify any potential issues. If you ride a track on a stock bike, you can’t see its limits. I think this is a change that needs to be made.”
Would test riders be enough, or would we need the riders themselves?
“Test riders are enough for me. In 2022, when we were able to test in Indonesia, it was great because we could try out the tyres; we realized they weren’t perfect, and in fact, they were changed for the GP. It’s true that not all test riders push the bike to its limits, but it would still be better than nothing.”