But when the Desmosedici suddenly handled to his liking at Motegi, the Italian swept to a double victory, only to be back to square one at many of the following rounds.<\/p>\n
Bagnaia\u2019s season ended with an erratic sequence of three wins, ten non-scores and an eighth place, dropping him from third to fifth in the final standings.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe Pecco story this year has been hard to watch, actually, for me,\u201d Guintoli told Crash.net. \u201cYou can see that obviously he’s been really struggling, and been down with it as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that was not nice to see because Pecco is a fantastic rider.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guintoli, who also spent six years as Suzuki\u2019s factory test rider and later helped develop MotoGP<\/a> tyres for Michelin, explained why Bagnaia\u2019s front-end confidence issues were so damaging.<\/p>\n \u201cFront-end feel is everything, especially with the current spec of MotoGP bikes,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou must be able to have that feel and stop the bike efficiently – without disturbing the load to the front in corner entry.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n \u201cThen you can be smooth, carry the corner speed and so on. It’s all linked together.<\/p>\n \u201cSome riders are more affected than others [by front feeling]. Some adapt and find ways around it, and some need to be 100% happy with that feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n Francesco Bagnaia, 2025 Australian MotoGP<\/p>\n “You can feel it in your wrists”<\/p>\n Guintoli added that the sensation arrives through the wrists, as a rider feels the tyre deforming and sliding on corner entry.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes through your wrists,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s a weird feeling. You can feel the front tyre moving. Especially with a MotoGP, you can feel the front tyre squashing and deforming underneath as you try to brake in.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n \u201cEven when you’re straight [braking upright], you can feel that. Then, as you trail-brake into the corner, you can really feel it in your wrists. And you must be in full control of that because you’re on the limit.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Everything needs to be super smooth for you to get the best out of the package. It’s easier said than done! And Pecco is not shy, even when he’s struggling, to go for it and sometimes push over the limit.<\/p>\n \u201cFront-end feel can be mental as well, as in, it can get to your head. But the reality is that – except for Motegi – he’s been confronted by some sort of recurrent problem. The same problem was always there\u201d<\/p>\n Despite Bagnaia\u2019s repeated struggles, Guintoli expects a resurgence in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he’s going to come back, and I’ve said he’s going to have to hit rock bottom before coming back. But the episode in Motegi was kind of strange! He couldn’t do anything wrong and dominated.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n![\"Francesco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3000_gng_1276320_hires.jpg\")
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