At a observe the place he had a transparent fringe of efficiency over everybody else the 12 months earlier than, Pecco Bagnaia was left staring on the Ghost of Season Previous after his totally beige 2024 Grand Prix of the Americas weekend.
“Contemplating all the pieces, for positive we’ve to grasp the scenario and resolve the issues,” he stated.
“As a result of proper now it is fairly troublesome.
“The scenario is similar to 2022. That at the beginning of the season I needed to race in defence.”
Bagnaia was tenth within the standings, averaging simply over six factors per race, after the primary quarter of that 2022 season – having come into it as a probable title contender however having struggled by a deeply messy pre-season with Ducati that included a (appropriate in hindsight) choice to forsake the newest spec of the engine.
Although his tempo sorted itself out quickly sufficient and he began successful, a 91-point deficit on the midway level meant he actually ought to’ve been out of it – with solely Yamaha’s sharp aggressive decline and Fabio Quartararo’s desperation to compensate for it giving Bagnaia a second likelihood that he took.
The next season had began sketchily, too, however differently – with pace however errors – but 2024 was imagined to be an enchancment on each, provided that not like 2022 specifically Bagnaia was over the moon with the standard of the most recent Desmosedici, and that it appeared an even bigger improve on its predecessor than the GP23 had been relative to the GP22.
But the efficiency has been erratic as soon as once more. Bagnaia received in Qatar and he ought to’ve received the Portimao dash, however he has additionally gone lacking in a number of the periods. His COTA weekend packed in all types of ups and downs, however with out his traditional Sunday trick of leaving the very best for final.
On Friday, he’d felt he’d had his finest opening day to a weekend in ages. However after the dash, which was ruined for him by huge wheelspin off the road but additionally appeared very unimpressive pace-wise, he minimize a confused determine, seemingly hinting at a perception that each he and team-mate Enea Bastianini had a comfortable rear tyre that wasn’t fairly proper.
The centrepiece of that obvious perception – or at the least of Bagnaia’s confusion – was one particular lap. A 2m02.414s, his ninth lap in Saturday morning apply, on a medium entrance that had performed 14 laps and a comfortable rear that had performed 11 laps.
Bagnaia was bewildered by how far off that tempo he was within the dash on the identical rear tyre compound. And he acquired nearer in the principle race on, once more, the identical rear tyre, however not shut sufficient (particularly as his tempo cratered quickly after).
Totally different observe situations between these periods could make comparisons iffy, however placing these laptimes facet by facet with what 2024 COTA winner Maverick Vinales did is telling.
Vinales v. Bagnaia quickest laps
Saturday morning apply
Bagnaia 2m02.414s (14 laps medium entrance, 11 laps comfortable rear)
Vinales 2m02.556s (9 laps comfortable entrance, 8 laps comfortable rear)
Dash
Vinales 2m02.275s
Bagnaia 2m03.236s
GP
Vinales 2m02.575s
Bagnaia 2m02.901s
It is not clear if Bagnaia modified his thoughts over the Saturday situation after Sunday’s disappointment – in all probability not, as a result of he was at the least in a position to entry the next preliminary tempo within the grand prix race.
Then the rear tyre started to chatter.
“I used to be pondering earlier than lap six that I used to be in a position to combat for a win, or for a podium, for the highest.
“However I began to have a number of chattering, a number of vibration on the left facet, and it was very troublesome to handle all the pieces. And I fully destroyed the entrance tyre on the best facet. So it was additionally very troublesome to do corners on the best facet.”
The rear vibration has been a persistent situation with the GP24 over the season up to now, albeit an inconsistent one. It gave the impression to be bothering Martin essentially the most over the pre-season – now it’s clearly hindering Bagnaia.
That, although, makes it much more shocking that he – and all the opposite Ducatis – elected to run the comfortable rear within the race, regardless of the very fact it is the softer rubber that has usually been inducing chatter up to now.
Bagnaia insisted it was the best alternative, stating that Bastianini might’ve fought for the win on a comfortable rear if not for a less-than-perfect begin to the race.
However Bastianini, at his finest a tyre whisperer unmatched by any of his present MotoGP friends, was truly nonetheless forward of the medium-rear shod Vinales even after his messy opening laps, just for Vinales to take care of him and completely minimize by the remainder of the sector.
In any case, each Bastianini and Martin beat Bagnaia on the identical tyre, and that has to sting.
“It is unusual,” stated Bagnaia of the efficiency patterns of the 2024 Ducatis. “Enea did not have any chattering this weekend, additionally right now, however he was actually in hassle [at points] within the weekend.
“I used to be feeling good, Martin was tremendous quick, however right now struggled. It is obscure, like this, with three bikes – as a result of Franky [Morbidelli] proper now remains to be studying, so it is troublesome to place him on the identical bundle. Enea was fighting the brakes, was struggling to let the bike flip, however right now was tremendous quick.”
Martin – who additionally had some vibration on Sunday, “dropping one or two tenths each lap”, however felt it wasn’t too dramatic – has crushed Bagnaia in 5 of the six races up to now, and is a tidy 30 factors forward. Regardless of the vices of the 2024 Ducati, he’s coping higher.
“I do know completely, all my belief is in my group, that we are going to resolve the issue, with the calm that we all the time had, and we will probably be once more combating for the highest,” stated Bagnaia.
However a comeback in opposition to a prime rider on the identical bike is unlikely to be as easy because it was in opposition to Quartararo’s ever-fading M1 in 2022.
