P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Francesco Bagnaia says he and Ducati are “working hard” to uncover the cause of his Mandalika struggles ahead of the Australian MotoGP.
The upcoming Australian Grand Prix will determine which version of Francesco Bagnaia we will see in MotoGP: the dominant double winner from Motegi or the struggling contender from Misano-Mandalika.
Bagnaia will be the sole full-time rider for Ducati Lenovo at Phillip Island, following Marc Marquez’s injury, aiming to overcome his front-end confidence issues that haunted him throughout the season.
Despite experiencing a turnaround in form with older GP24 parts at Misano and Motegi, Bagnaia faced setbacks at Mandalika, which he is determined to analyze and improve upon for the upcoming race.
With key competitors sidelined due to injuries, Bagnaia has the opportunity to clinch his first victory at the picturesque Phillip Island circuit, where he has been consistently fast but has yet to reach the top step.
Starting the last four rounds 88 points behind Alex Marquez in the title runner-up battle, Bagnaia needs to regain his Motegi form to secure a strong finish to the season and fend off challenges from his rivals.
