MotoGP: Bagnaia is at a loss to "explain this type of performance" after disappointing result at Spielberg

Having finished Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix in a disappointing eighth place, two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia claims he is at a loss to "explain this type of performance" on a track where he was unbeaten in the previous three seasons.

With the MotoGP field having returned to action following its well-deserved summer break, Ducati has continued its dominant form in the 2025 MotoGP. Although Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi snatched pole position on Saturday, Marc Márquez grabbed victory in the Spielberg MotoGP Sprint.

In Sunday's 28-lap Spielberg race, Francesco Bagnaia took a great start to move himself up to third, but his team-mate Marc Márquez passed him on Lap 2.

Having moved himself ahead of Bagnaia, Márquez began his chase of race leader Marco Bezzecchi. He then overtook his rival after a hard-fought battle on lap 20, and looked on course to take another dominant victory.

However, in the final stages, Márquez had to defend the lead from the resurging Fermin Aldeguer. The Gresini Ducati rider diplayed eye-catching pace in the dying stages of the race, but Márquez kept his composure to claim his first victory at the Red Bull Ring.

His team-mate Bagnaia held third position for two-thirds of the Spielberg round. However, he then started to struggle to keep his rear tyre alive, and he gradually lost ground and ultimately crossed the finish line in eighth place.

Commenting on his disappointing result at Spielberg, Bagnaia stated: “It’s difficult to explain this type of performance, especially on a track where I’ve always been strong. I got a good start and everything looked good in the opening laps, even though I didn’t have the same pace as the frontrunners.

"The idea was to stay calm and bring home the best possible result, but then I began to slow down as soon as I lost support from the rear-end. Today I found myself battling for the top eight and was 12 seconds behind the winner at the line – my pace was slow.

"The weekend started off very well and the pace shown on both Friday and Saturday morning was a good one. Then we know how the Sprint and race went, and it’s a pity. The potential is there, but we can’t express it in the race right now.”

Speaking to DAZN, Bagnaia conceded that he struggles to find the reasons for "why things aren’t working out for me."

“What has been happening all year has happened again,” the double world champion told DAZN. “I fight and give it my all. But this time, giving it my all, I finished eighth. The winner did it in the same time it took me to win last year. So I have the potential.

“I don’t know why things aren’t working out for me. [Third-place finisher] Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez did everything better than me. That I finished 12 seconds behind on a circuit where I always made a difference is something I don’t understand, and will never understand.”