Francesco Bagnaia says his Ducati rear tyre ‘destroyed itself’ during Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, a problem Valentino Rossi has also spoken about.
On Saturday, Bagnaia was just a few corners away from winning the Sprint race before Jorge Martin passed him on the final lap. Still, even though he didn’t get the win, just getting on the podium gave him a bit of a boost.
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The Italian started well in Sunday’s main event, going head-to-head with teammate Marc Marquez early on. But as the laps went by, he couldn’t keep up the pace. He slipped down to 10th place by the finish line, losing out to Luca Marini right at the end.
Bagnaia admits tyre issues left him struggling for grip in Austin
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images
By the end of the race, Bagnaia was trailing fellow GP26 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio by more than seven and a half seconds, despite running with him early on. The gap showed just how much his pace had dropped off.
Speaking to outlets including Speedweek, Bagnaia explained that it was rear tyre wear that led to his drop-off. He finished the race with so little grip that he was worried about crashing.
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“We have a real problem with rear tyre wear,” said the two-time MotoGP champion. “I tried everything to treat the tyre properly, I didn’t provoke any slides. But even with this riding style, the tyre destroyed itself.
“In the last few laps, the risk of crashing was very high. On the last lap, Luca Marini overtook me on the outside in the long right-hander.”
Ducati seem aware of their ongoing tyre issues after Valentino Rossi also brought up similar concerns in Argentina earlier this year.** <|diff_marker|>
Ducati already seem aware of their ongoing tyre problems after Valentino Rossi raised similar issues following Argentina earlier this year. <|diff_marker|>
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Valentino Rossi’s remarks on Francesco Bagnaia’s tyre issues
Bagnaia was already dealing with this issue before the 2025 season. Valentino Rossi even described rear tyre wear as his ‘biggest problem’ at a MotoGP Hall of Fame event last year.
Rossi, who acts as a mentor for the VR46 Academy graduate, explained: “During the last laps, Pecco is slower, and last season [2024], 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.”
Even after a switch in equipment didn’t make much difference.
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The only silver lining for Bagnaia right now might be that other Ducati riders are also struggling to maintain performance late in races. Even Marquez hasn’t made it onto a podium yet this season.
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