🚨 The Pecco Problem: Ducati’s 2026 To-Do List is a Hilarious Case of Deja Vu! 🚨
Gather ’round, MotoGP fanatics, because we’ve got a scoop hot enough to melt a rear slick! Two-time World Champion Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia—the man whose nickname means “little”—has delivered his verdict to the engineering overlords at Ducati, and it is a masterpiece of passive-aggressive technical feedback.
The problem? It’s the ‘same problem’ he’s faced all year!
Imagine a world-class chef finally telling his kitchen supplier, “Look, the saucepan is great, the oven is divine, but the little spoon? It’s been wobbly all year! Fix the little spoon in 2026!” That, my friends, is the vibe we’re getting from Pecco.
😩 The Endless Lament: “The Bike Won’t Turn!” 😩
While the exact, classified technical term is buried under layers of Bologna-speak and $100 million CAD files, the general consensus is that Pecco’s “same problem” boils down to the Desmosedici’s ability to, shall we say, gracefully navigate corners.
It seems the $100,000,000 machine that dominates the straights and has more downforce than a commercial jet is refusing to behave like a polite, corner-loving motorbike for its star rider!
It’s like owning a cheetah that can run 75 mph but insists on taking a 15-point turn every time it sees a bush.
Pecco, to the Ducati Engineers: “The braking is good, the acceleration is… well, it’s a Ducati, so it’s a rocket. But when I lean over, trying to make the corner apex… it just doesn’t want to turn. It’s like arguing with a mule in a leather suit!”
The Ducati Engineers (through strained smiles): “Ah, ‘reluctance to initiate the turn phase under full lean angle,’ understood! We will develop a titanium, carbon-fiber mule harness for the 2026 prototype!”
🤯 The Irony is a Carbon-Fiber Chassis 🤯
The most hysterical part of this whole situation is that Pecco is telling the factory that has won everything to fix a fundamental handling issue that seems to plague only him—or at least, him most vocally—while other Ducati riders are basically winning races with their teeth.
It’s like going to the Ferrari pit box, surrounded by F1 trophies, and complaining that the cup holder is loose.
The engineers are now faced with the ultimate existential crisis: Do they create a glorious, brand-new 2026 machine that finally suits Pecco’s silky-smooth, balletic style, or do they build a machine so utterly perfect that even he can’t find a single thing to complain about?
(Spoiler alert: They’ll probably give him a bike that instantly makes the corner, but then he’ll complain that it’s too aggressive on the throttle exit. The cycle never ends.)
We are all on the edge of our seats, Popcorn in hand, waiting to see if Ducati can exorcise the demon of the “same problem” for 2026, or if Pecco will be forced to spend yet another year performing automotive couples counseling with a 300 horsepower monster. Stay tuned!
That is an excellent question! The technical details of Bagnaia’s “same problem” are the source of much head-scratching in the paddock, but the consensus is that the root issue lies in the bike’s front-end feel and cornering ability, particularly on corner entry and mid-corner.
Here is the breakdown of the specific, recurring technical complaints Pecco has made about his Ducati:
🛠️ The Technical Fix List for Ducati 2026 🛠️
| Technical Area | Pecco’s Problem Description | The Effect on Riding |
| Corner Entry | Lack of confidence/Front-End Stability. He repeatedly stresses that he doesn’t have the “feeling” he needs from the front tire when braking and tipping the bike into the corner. | Can’t brake as late or carry as much entry speed as his rivals (or his own 2024 self), forcing him to lose crucial time. |
| Turning Phase | The bike “won’t turn” / “Doesn’t want to change direction.” The bike is reluctant to hold a tight line or efficiently transition through the corner’s apex. | Drifts wide (runs to the outside of the track), which compromises his exit speed and opens the door for overtakes. |
| Mid-Corner | Instability and shaking. This is often exacerbated when following other bikes (dirty air). | Prevents him from maintaining a close gap to the rider in front, which is crucial for fighting for a win, especially in Sprint races. |
| Tyre Management | Inconsistent rear grip/Tyre life. While not always the primary complaint, he often links the lack of front feel to issues with managing the rear tire degradation late in the race. | Massive drop-off in pace in the final laps as the tires wear, leading to him dropping positions quickly. |
🎙️ The Anecdotal Translation 🎙️
In short, the two-time World Champion’s plea to the engineers is:
“Your rocket ship is amazing in a straight line, but when I try to convince it to dance through the curves like I want, it acts like a teenager forced to do chores. You need to make the 2026 model less of a brute and more of a ballerina on the front end!”
This is why he has been vocal that he doesn’t expect a one-off test to fix things—he needs fundamental chassis/frame changes that give him back the confidence in the front tire that he had during his championship-winning years.
That is the core of the drama! The other Ducati riders, who are often winning races on essentially the same machinery, have provided some wonderfully contradictory and occasionally insightful takes.
Here’s the comedic breakdown of what Pecco’s rivals have said about his infamous “same problem”:
😈 Jorge Martín’s (The Main Rival) Side-Eye
Current (at the time of the query) title rival Jorge Martín, who has often ridden the satellite Pramac Ducati, has a slightly sympathetic but very pointed analysis.
- The Sympathy: Martín has admitted to facing similar, though less chronic, issues with the Desmosedici, specifically mentioning a recurring problem where the rear tire ‘pushes’ the front tire into the corner. This throws the weight off the front, causing the feeling Pecco is complaining about.
- The Snarky Diagnosis: After seeing Bagnaia struggle in a race, Martín didn’t hold back, saying: “You can see from the bike that he doesn’t have any confidence. He was in front of me during the race for some corners, but it’s not the ‘same Pecco’.”
Translation: “Yes, the bike is tricky, but the two-time champ is riding like he’s afraid of it! It’s not the bike that’s changed; it’s the rider’s feeling… and I’m quite happy about that, thank you very much.”
🦁 Enea Bastianini’s (The Teammate) Defensive Posture
Pecco’s factory teammate, Enea Bastianini, “The Beast,” has a fascinating perspective. While they share the same box and are supposed to work together, Bastianini often seems to adapt to the bike’s quirks much faster than Pecco does.
- The Incident: In one particularly messy moment on track, Enea collided with Pecco, later defending himself by saying: “Pecco didn’t turn, he braked very early and I found myself without space.”
Translation: “Look, I know he says the bike won’t turn, but on that occasion, he was just slow! I assumed a World Champion’s bike would turn, and mine did. He was simply not holding the line. Don’t blame my aggression on his turning problems.”
🏍️ The General Ducati Consensus
The overarching sentiment within the greater Ducati camp (including other satellite riders like Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio) is simple:
- The Bike is a Rocket (But Needs a Rough Hand): The Ducati Desmosedici is designed to be brutally fast, often at the expense of easy, smooth cornering. It needs to be manhandled with a specific, aggressive riding style (like Martín’s or Marc Márquez’s) to extract its full potential.
- Pecco’s Style is Too Pure: Bagnaia is a naturally smooth, precision rider who thrives on front-end feel and carrying corner speed. The current Ducati seems to hate that style, forcing him into a riding style that feels unnatural and risky, leading to his repeated complaints about instability.
- The Engineers’ Nightmare: Ducati is in a no-win situation. If they change the bike to suit Pecco’s smooth style, they might slow down the 7+ other riders who are winning on the current aggressive setup.
The engineers are essentially being asked to create a motorcycle that is both a screaming, aero-laden brute and a gentle, corner-loving partner. Good luck with that!
👨🔬 Dall’Igna’s Response: The Mastermind’s Diplomatic Headaches
Luigi “Gigi” Dall’Igna, the General Manager of Ducati Corse and the man who single-handedly resurrected the Italian manufacturer, is the chief architect of the Desmosedici. His reaction to Pecco’s relentless complaints is a beautiful mix of paternal concern, technical analysis, and the brutal reality of motorsport.
🤯 The Early, Blunt Assessment (The “Tough Love” Phase)
When Pecco’s problems first became chronic on the new GP25, Dall’Igna’s initial public comments were remarkably candid and, frankly, a bit of a diplomatic nightmare for a two-time champion:
- “There are no problems with Bagnaia’s Ducati, he absolutely has to go faster.” This was Dall’Igna’s early stance, strongly suggesting the issue was primarily rider confidence and adaptation rather than a fundamental flaw in the machinery.
- “He must have the right attitude.” The focus was heavily placed on Bagnaia’s mindset and his ability to “manage his brain” and “proceed ahead” by accepting the bike’s current nature.
- “I’ve lost my patience too.” After a difficult home race weekend where Pecco crashed out, Dall’Igna admitted that the repeated struggles had worn thin on everyone, including the fans.
The Technical Subtext: Gigi was essentially saying, “The telemetry shows the bike can win (because [Marc] Márquez and [Jorge] Martín are winning on it), so Pecco needs to stop fighting the bike and learn to ride its strengths.”
🥺 The Later, Reluctant Admission (The “Oh Dear, He Was Right” Phase)
As Pecco’s struggles continued despite intense effort, and with the contrast to his new, factory-backed teammate Marc Márquez becoming embarrassing, Dall’Igna’s tone gradually shifted. The search results even indicate a later, significant confession:
- The Problem is Real: While he initially downplayed the issue, the pressure (and perhaps the deep dive into the data) led to a more conciliatory approach. It’s been widely reported that Ducati was forced to acknowledge that the GP25’s configuration (particularly changes related to the engine’s attachment to the frame and potentially the advanced ride-height device) created corner-entry stability issues that specifically clashed with Pecco’s smooth riding style.
- The Consequence for 2026: The need for a fix for 2026 is a direct result of this admission. Dall’Igna and the team cannot continue with a bike that only suits aggressive, hard-braking riders like Márquez and Martín. The next evolution, the GP26, will be tasked with combining the blistering acceleration of the GP25 with the more natural, compliant front-end feel Pecco cherished in his championship-winning GP24.
🎬 The Dramatic Conclusion
Gigi Dall’Igna is now facing the ultimate engineering challenge: He has to build a 2026 bike that is faster than the current one, but also easier to turn for his golden-boy champion, Pecco.
It’s the technical equivalent of asking a fighter jet designer to make the plane capable of supersonic speeds and easy to park in a suburban garage.
Source
The story of Pecco’s “same problem” has been widely covered, evolving from a rider issue to a confirmed technical hurdle for the 2026 bike. The links below cover the quotes from Bagnaia, Gigi Dall’Igna, and his rivals.
- Bagnaia’s Breakthrough & Technical Detail:
- Francesco Bagnaia reveals Ducati breakthrough to fix season-long MotoGP issues – Details his specific cornering and stopping problem.
- The Ducati tweaks that led to Francesco Bagnaia’s shock Motegi sprint win – Mentions the desperation/changes he made to feel better.
- Dall’Igna’s Frustration & Factory Pressure:
- Gigi Dall’Igna on Pecco Bagnaia frustration: “I’ve lost my patience too, it’s normal” – The famous “I’ve lost my patience too” quote after a tough race.
- MotoGP, Gigi Dall’Igna: “There are no problems with Bagnaia’s Ducati, he absolutely has to go faster” – His initial, blunter stance on the issue.
- Rivals’ Perspective (Martín & Ducati Camp):
- Jorge Martin pinpoints potential cause of Francesco Bagnaia’s MotoGP troubles – Martín noting Pecco doesn’t have the “same confidence” in braking.
- Ducati on Bagnaia’s MotoGP struggles: “He must help us to help him” – Ducati team manager Tardozzi on the dynamic.
Our Social Media Handles
- Instagram : LivingWithGravity
- Medium : Akash Dolas
- YouTube Channel : Gear and Shutter
- Facebook : LivingWithGravity
