That relentless slump from Francesco Bagnaia is no longer just a paddock talking point; it has even captured the alarmed attention of his former rivals. According to Motorsport.com Italia, Andrea Dovizioso is speaking openly about the difficult phase gripping the Ducati rider, admitting that the situation genuinely frightens him.
Speaking on his podcast "04 Bar" alongside journalists Giovanni Zamagni and Cosimo Curatola, the former MotoGP rider laid out his worries. "For how he behaves and for what he says, it makes me a little scared," Dovizioso remarked. "I just hope he doesn't experience the races this way, because in his eyes I see that he is really suffering a lot."
If one day Pecco wants to talk about it, we will find out what happened,
It goes well beyond standard athletic frustration or missing out on a championship battle, with the three-time premier class runner-up suspecting far deeper, personal complexities behind the scenes. Dovizioso pointed out that across his long career in motorcycle racing, "I have never personally experienced or seen in other riders a situation comparable to the one Pecco finds himself in now."
The numbers certainly paint a grim picture of his recent outings, featuring four retirements across the last six grands prix after a more promising start to the year. Tension also flared recently when a leaked recording from DAZN Spain captured Bagnaia discussing his struggles with Fabio Di Giannantonio, where he allegedly stated that Ducati blocks him from altering the machine's setup to suit his preferences. Bagnaia later hit out at the media coverage, insisting those remarks were taken out of context while noting that Ducati consistently tries to assist him with modifications.
Dovizioso, choosing prudence over accusation, refuses to pile further pressure onto an already fragile scenario or point fingers at either the rider or the team. "If one day Pecco wants to talk about it, we will find out what happened," Dovizioso noted. Meanwhile, the internet has taken notice of the podcast episode, with Bagnaia himself giving an Instagram like to a post sharing the veteran's comments on the account "inostripilotigp" — leaving everyone to wonder whether it was a sign of agreement or simply acknowledgement.
