#BrazilianGP: exhausting weekend for our riders
A demanding and exhausting weekend for our riders. Francesco Bagnaia finishes in the points in the Sprint but crashes in Sunday’s race. In Moto2, Ivan Ortolá narrowly misses out, finishing just within the points by four seconds. They will return to the track next weekend in the United States.
A crash in qualifying followed by a solid performance in Saturday’s Sprint race. Another crash in Sunday’s race midway through the event. The second race weekend of the season proved to be demanding and inconsistent for our Francesco Bagnaia, who struggled with a lack of feeling aboard his Ducati throughout. Meanwhile, Ivan Ortolá’s Moto2 result echoed last season’s pattern: twelfth place in Q2 and tenth in the race.
SPRINT RACE
A day of mixed fortunes for Francesco Bagnaia, who delivered a solid race performance that was heavily influenced by the outcome of qualifying. The Italian rider saw his chances of a top result compromised by a crash during the decisive session, which forced him to start from eleventh position on the grid. Despite this early setback, Bagnaia reacted immediately at lights out, making a strong start and gaining three positions within the opening lap. Quickly joining the group battling for the top seven, the reigning world champion attempted to build a meaningful comeback, relying on a competitive race pace. However, as the laps progressed, his charge began to stall. Difficulty in finding overtaking opportunities proved to be the main obstacle. In particular, Bagnaia remained stuck behind Alex Márquez for several laps, unable to complete a decisive move and losing valuable time to his direct rivals. The final result was also affected by his inability to fully exploit the potential of the Ducati Desmosedici GP, which showed strong pace but limitations in key attacking phases. This resulted in an eighth-place finish, a position that does not fully reflect the speed he demonstrated during the race. The outcome leaves mixed feelings: strong recovery and good pace on one side, but regret over a qualifying session that compromised his ambitions. The team now shifts its focus to improving single-lap performance, a key factor for upcoming races.
RACE
A challenging and obstacle-filled Sunday for Francesco Bagnaia, who endured a Grand Prix well below expectations. The Italian rider was compromised from the very start by a poor launch that immediately affected his track position. At lights out, Bagnaia lost three positions, quickly dropping out of the top ten and getting caught in mid-pack traffic. This made it particularly difficult to find rhythm and confidence to recover ground. Over the following laps, the gap to the leaders increased, with the rider unable to fully express his potential. Around lap eleven, while running in eleventh place, a crash at Turn 1 that ended his race. According to the rider, the loss of control was due to a constant feeling of being on the limit, without ever finding the right balance to push consistently.“I felt on the limit for the entire race and was never able to ride the way I wanted,” Bagnaia explained afterward, highlighting the difficulties he faced. The outcome is particularly disappointing considering the strong pace shown during the morning warm-up, which had suggested a much more competitive race. The final result represents a missed opportunity, but also a starting point for analyzing the issues and preparing for the upcoming rounds.
“Unfortunately, the crash in qualifying was the only real limitation. Starting from eleventh place when the bike could technically allow you to race at the front is a real shame, as I think we had the potential to battle for the podium. In the race, however, I didn’t manage to be incisive or to overtake, and I eventually got stuck behind Alex (Márquez). Tomorrow’s race will be a long one and the key factor will be front-tyre wear. I have to try to make my way up into the top five or six in the opening laps and then manage the tyres. We’re among those who have lapped the most with used tyres and we showed a consistent pace throughout the Sprint, so now we just have to wait for the race.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Sprint Race 8°
“I didn’t have the right feeling in the race and couldn’t push, so much so that in the end I crashed at turn one after constantly feeling at the limit. I didn’t have a good start and, until the crash, I simply tried to do what I could. It’s a shame, because the potential of the bike is higher, and it was clear also in this morning’s warm up. We’re working hard to recover the speed, but it’s neither an easy nor an immediate path. I made a mistake in qualifying and paid the price for it, but I don’t think I would have been able to do much better in the race anyway.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Race DNF
MOTO 2
The Moto2 race day was the hottest of the weekend, with air temperatures reaching approximately 32°C and track temperatures climbing to 58°C. All riders used Pirelli soft compound tyres on both front and rear (SC1 front, SC0 rear), which proved consistent and versatile throughout the weekend, adapting well to the characteristics of the Brazilian circuit despite the extreme heat. However, Iván Ortolá struggled to find a good feeling with both the weekend and his bike.
Signs of a difficult round were already evident during Free Practice, where he could not improve beyond the twenty-fourth fastest time. There was improvement in Q2, which the Suomy rider finished in twelfth place. In the race, a modest recovery allowed Ortolá to climb into the points, securing a tenth-place finish.
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #SuomyCrew during the weekend in Brazil.