Bagnaia admits discomfort after Friday at Jerez: “It’s not something I like”

Francesco Bagnaia finished second fastest in Friday's practice ahead of the 2025 Spanish MotoGP in Jerez. But the two-time MotoGP champion still believes there's time to be made after he admitted he's not comfortable with corner entry. The Ducati rider, who has had much success at the Spanish Grand Prix, sat a tenth behind Alex Marquez, who led the timesheet.

"Happy for the result," Bagnaia confirmed, "because I was competitive with new medium tyres, new soft, even used tyres.

"But I don't feel very comfortable on corner entry with the brake," he admitted. "I still feel that the rear is pushing a bit the front, and it's not something I like, so I need to solve it before the Sprint race.

"In corners like Turn 5 and Turn 9 where I was super strong last year, I'm struggling more this weekend," he explained. "So tomorrow morning we'll try something to do another step."

The Italian is hoping to avoid repeating mistakes from earlier in the season as he aims to maximise his qualifying potential on Saturday morning.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"I just hope I don't make the same mistake I did in Qatar qualifying," he added. "I think the potential is there to fight for the top three, to fight for the win. But we need to do another little step tomorrow."

He is working to improve his 2025 machine after an impressive 2024 performance - albeit including several DNFs. The team could bring a modification they tested on the morning of Friday.

"We tried something small this morning and it wasn't bad. In the Sprint maybe we'll add it to the bike. But the problem is when there's a lot of slipstream – that's when I feel worse."

"Marc in this moment is like in the last races – he's the strongest," he admitted after being asked who his main competition is this weekend.

"Alex [Marquez] is risking quite a lot and committed two mistakes, but was very strong on the time attack. Fabio [Quartararo] is also very competitive.

"But right now, I would say Marc is the man to beat."

Marc Marquez finished fourth fastest, over two tenths off the pace of his younger brother. But despite this, Bagnaia is keen to keep an eye on his performance come Sunday's Grand Prix. He will be hoping to fix his cornering issues to make full use of his machinery going into the race.