The double world champion who won the last two Spanish Grands Prix at Jerez is facing some challenges this weekend. Despite his previous victories, he didn’t score in Portugal and finished sixth in America.
One of Bagnaia’s main problems has been a shaking feeling at the back of his bike, something other Ducati riders have also dealt with in the first three races.
During practice on Friday at Jerez, Bagnaia broke his own lap record from last year and came out on top in the afternoon session by a small margin.
“We did things differently compared to a normal Friday,” said Bagnaia. “We treated this Friday like a test, and it was really helpful. We tried out more things than usual, and I’m very happy about it. We didn’t experience any shaking, but usually, it shows up on Saturday during the sprint race.”
He continued, “I’m cautiously optimistic. My confidence has grown during braking and entering corners. It felt much better with less movement. So, I’m really happy about that.”
When asked about the changes made to the bike, he said, “I can’t say exactly what they were. But it was a significant change. I needed something big. The goal was to improve the overall feeling. When you feel better, you can perform better, especially when exiting corners.”
Ducati has been trying hard to figure out the vibration issues affecting its riders. Bagnaia believes it might be because of Michelin’s rear tires having a different structure in 2024.
“I think it’s because of the tire’s structure,” he explained. “It offers more grip, but if you push it too hard, it can start shaking. The lap times we’re seeing this year are amazing. Maybe they didn’t expect such high performance because the grip is much better. They might have thought we’d achieve similar lap times but with more tire support. But, in our situation, my feeling on the bike, along with Jorge Martin, is experiencing this kind of vibration.”
