The Austrian Grand Prix could serve as the site of Francesco Bagnaia’s revival in the 2025 MotoGP season, following the first half of a campaign which has been riddled with struggles.
The Italian rider has had to race in the shadow of his Ducati teammate, Marc Marquez, during a dominant season from the latter, which has seen him return to championship-winning form.
Bagnaia described his 2025 campaign as ‘difficult’ as he has struggled to match the results of Marquez, winning just one Grand Prix so far this season, as opposed to the Spaniard’s eight victories he’s already notched up.
Ducati have expressed their support for Bagnaia amid the sub-par season, but it hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from linking riders who have impressed this season to Bagnaia’s factory Ducati seat.
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Ducati are using Francesco Bagnaia’s favoured 355mm brakes at the Austrian Grand Prix
However, Ducati could be unleashing the best version of Bagnaia at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix due to a change in brake diameter that the Red Bull Ring demands.
The MotoGP grid will be using 355mm brake discs, something that Bagnaia noted as his more favoured option of diameter following a test in Aragon earlier in the season.
The 28-year-old explained that the bigger brake discs were able to give him more confidence ‘when cornering’, something that he has lacked on track throughout the season.
Speaking on the Paddock Pass Podcast, MotoGP journalist David Emmett touched upon the fact that Ducati will be amending Bagnaia’s brake discs in line with the intense braking zones present in Spielberg, stating, “That should give him at least a bit more confidence.
“Confidence in braking and confidence in corner entry, being able to hold the brakes and control the amount that the front wheel is locking deep into the corner. So it’s going to be interesting to see whether that makes a difference.
“I think it will, it’ll certainly give him a confidence boost to be able to come into Austria, knowing that he’s got the big discs that everything is in place for him to succeed.”
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The Austrian Grand Prix is Francesco Bagnaia’s best opportunity to regain confidence in his Ducati bike
Adding to the extra confidence in the handling of his bike under braking, Bagnaia should be entering the Austrian Grand Prix weekend with more confidence than in other race weekends due to his past record at the track.
The 2022 and 2023 MotoGP world champion has won at the Red Bull Ring in the last three editions of the Austrian GP. To make things even more interesting in the Ducati battle, Marquez has yet to win at all in Austria.
YearRiderConstructor2024Francesco BagnaiaDucati2023Francesco BagnaiaDucati2022Francesco BagnaiaDucati2021Brad BinderKTM2020Andre DoviziosoDucatiWinners of the last five Austrian Grands Prix
Speaking to the media following his victory last year, Bagnaia pinpointed the reason for his success at the track, explaining, via MC News, “It is one of the best tracks for our bike, it suits the style of this circuit perfectly.
“I love these kinds of braking points as you have to be very precise and be very strong in those sectors, and I like the circuit for that.”
Ducati and Bagnaia will be hoping that he is able to regather some of the form that was on show during the 2024 season, which saw him push Jorge Martin to the very end in the championship battle.