P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Pecco Bagnaia endured a difficult sprint at the Portuguese MotoGP
Ducati rider Pecco Bagnaia expressed disappointment about his lack of speed in the Saturday sprint race at the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix, finishing eighth after starting from fourth on the grid.
His recent sprint performances have been inconsistent in the 2025 season, with two wins but also two scoreless races, and a disappointing eighth-place finish in Portugal.
Despite a strong qualifying, Bagnaia struggled to maintain competitive pace, citing issues with grip, acceleration, and tire preservation during the sprint.
Bagnaia is now 10 points behind Marco Bezzecchi in the championship standings, but remains optimistic that Ducati can address his grip issues and aim for a podium finish in the upcoming races.
The team missed out on crucial setup changes in Saturday’s cold and damp FP2 session, but Bagnaia is focused on improving for the next race and believes they can make progress to be more competitive.
