P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Winner of last year’s wet Thai Grand Prix, Francesco Bagnaia was 12th and over 20 seconds behind team-mate Marc Marquez in the Sachsenring Sprint.
Francesco Bagnaia expressed frustration and confusion following a challenging German MotoGP Sprint, finishing 12th, over 20 seconds behind the winning Ducati teammate Marc Marquez, despite qualifying 11th. Bagnaia struggled to find confidence and pace on his GP25, losing considerable time per lap to Marquez. The setup changes made by the team between qualifying and the Sprint did not yield positive results for Bagnaia, as he lacked front-end confidence and dealt with a sliding rear. The Italian racer hopes to turn things around for the upcoming races by taking a different approach. Despite winning in the wet last year, Bagnaia’s inability to perform well in such conditions this year is both disappointing and puzzling. He acknowledged his poor feeling with the bike this season, making it challenging for him to tap into his full potential, particularly in wet races. Bagnaia dismissed the notion that the time spent on Friday’s chassis test influenced his performance, emphasizing the difficulties he faced this year with overall grip and handling. Although finishing outside the points in the Sprint, Alex Marquez secured eighth place despite a hand injury, widening the gap to Bagnaia in the standings. The weather forecast looks more promising for the Sunday race.
