Francesco Bagnaia "struggling a lot" after…

A downbeat Francesco Bagnaia said it was the “same as always” as he again struggled with the front end of his bike during the Italian Grand Prix sprint race at Mugello.

The factory Ducati rider started the sprint in second, but ultimately finished third behind team-mate and race winner Marc Marquez, as well as runner-up Alex Marquez.

This was despite him briefly leading in front of his home crowd at one point and Bagnaia is now 98 points behind championship leader Marc Marquez.

“Same as always,” said double world champion Bagnaia. “I started well, then they overtook me. I get stuck behind, then I cannot close the gap, and I finish there where I am.

“It’s like this from the start of the season. And honestly, I’m struggling a lot to do what I know I can do. I know that I can enter faster, I know I can do something that I’ve seen that others are doing.

“But I can’t do it. I’m unable, and I’m struggling a lot to put speed inside the corners.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images)

Bagnaia is yet to win a sprint race in 2025 with his only victory altogether coming at the Americas Grand Prix in Austin on 30 March.

That’s a stark contrast to last year as he won 11 grands prix, including Mugello where he also took the sprint win, and Bagnaia explained that he is still having issues with the front of his Ducati.

“The front is moving a lot, it’s locking a lot, it’s understeering a lot,” added the 2024 championship runner-up.

“And it’s a shame, because I was the only one that slowed the pace compared to last year. I was four, five tenths slower than last year when I won the sprint.

“Qualifying was very good. I was happy. I just did one mistake, and one little mistake cost me a bit.

“Then I started the race, and I was feeling good. I think, ‘okay, I can fight’. But then after three or four laps, I finished the front tyre, and it was very tough then.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s grand prix, Bagnaia said: “For tomorrow, let’s see. It depends on the condition - looks will be a bit colder.

“I think that with double the distance, my problems with the front will be worse. It’s the ninth GP, and more or less, the problem is always the same. So, we need to understand something in a different way.”