Factory Ducati rider Pecco Bagnaia is contemplating a return to the GP24 from the upcoming Americas Grand Prix after a challenging start to his 2025 campaign.
The reigning champion has struggled to match the pace of his rivals, finishing a distant third in Thailand and fourth in Argentina—over five seconds behind his victorious teammate, Marc Marquez. With Marquez securing back-to-back wins in the first two rounds, Bagnaia already finds himself 31 points adrift in the championship standings, sitting third behind Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez.
Following the Argentina GP, Bagnaia admitted he has lost the familiar feeling he once had with his Ducati. Despite Ducati scrapping its 2025 engine and shelving its chassis and aero package until the Jerez test in April, the GP25 still differs in key areas from its predecessor. These changes appear to be hindering Bagnaia’s performance, leading him to consider a full-time switch back to last year’s bike.
“We made progress over the weekend,” Bagnaia told es.motorsport.com after the Argentina GP. “But I’m still missing something, like rear tyre control, and it’s strange because the bike is so similar to last year’s.
“Maybe from the next race onwards, I will go back to the GP24, because right now my feeling with the GP25 is very strange.
“We have to keep working, but we need to fix this issue.”
The Argentina GP marked the first time since the 2024 Americas GP that Bagnaia failed to finish on the podium in a grand prix. His struggles are in stark contrast to his dominance last season on the GP24, where he won 11 of 20 races but ultimately lost the world championship by just 10 points after suffering eight non-scores.
“I expected more from myself, but from the start of the race, I struggled to find my rhythm,” Bagnaia admitted. “I wasn’t too far behind the top two early on, but I was a tenth and a half slower, and that was enough for them to pull away. I also lost time battling with Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli.”
While Bagnaia struggles, Alex Marquez has made an impressive start to 2025, securing second-place finishes in both races aboard the GP24 for Gresini Racing. The younger Marquez has also posed a serious challenge to his older brother, Marc, in Argentina.
Franco Morbidelli has also shown strong form on the VR46-run GP24, claiming third place in Argentina using an alternate strategy.
With Ducati’s 2025 machine still not delivering the expected performance, Bagnaia’s potential return to the GP24 could be a crucial decision in his title defense. The upcoming Americas GP may be a defining moment in his season.
