Bagnaia Reports Brake Boost, Confidence on Ducati GP26

At Sepang’s first preseason test, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia reported an immediate improvement on the new GP26, citing notably better braking and corner-entry confidence after a difficult 2025 season. He ran a radical aerodynamic fairing that showed both advantages and drawbacks but produced lap times broadly similar to the older bodywork, giving the team useful comparative data for ongoing development. Bagnaia and teammate Alex Márquez spent much of the day on long runs with used tires to assess race pace, and the squad planned a sprint simulation the next day followed by a full race simulation on day three. The opening work built on an encouraging Valencia post-season test and left Bagnaia cautiously optimistic while warning against reading too much into a single day.

Marc Márquez set the early benchmark with a 1:57.018 while managing limits as he recovers from a right-shoulder issue, and Bagnaia ultimately placed eighth, roughly seven-tenths off that time. Ducati’s focus in Sepang was clearly on usable setup and tire feedback rather than outright sheet positions, with Bagnaia emphasizing that the team needs to better understand how new parts behave before converting test pace into race advantage. The broader test painted a mixed picture across the paddock: Yamaha’s V4 was reported to be short on power, turning, traction and electronics and Fabio Quartararo was later ruled out of part of the program with a finger injury, while Alex Rins and Jack Miller struck a more positive tone about Yamaha development. Early signs from Aprilia, KTM and Honda were encouraging through riders such as Lorenzo Savadori, Pedro Acosta, Luca Marini and Joan Mir, even as rookies and regulars worked through setups and recoveries.

Off-track the opening test intensified contract-year and transfer speculation: Bagnaia is in a 2027 contract year and acknowledged that impending regulation changes have helped create a lively market. Reports linked Ducati with interest in Pedro Acosta for a factory seat and indicated the factory is close to finalizing a new deal with Marc Márquez, developments that feed uncertainty around other riders’ futures. Several pieces of coverage noted that a strong return to consistent podium form by Bagnaia would complicate any premature assumptions about incoming stars, and Ducati will use the remainder of preseason testing to firm up the GP26’s setup and aerodynamic package. Overall the Sepang opener left Ducati with encouraging technical signs and a clearer roadmap for evaluation, even as the paddock begins to reshuffle around the new rules.