Ducati boss "bothered" Bagnaia trailing Martin despite winning half the races

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi admits that it “bothers” him that Francesco Bagnaia is only second in the MotoGP standings despite having won half the races so far.

Factory rider Bagnaia clinched his ninth grand prix victory from 18 rounds in last weekend’s Thailand GP, having successfully fended off an attack from Gresini rival Marc Marquez in the first part of the race.

But, with just two rounds to go, he still faces a substantial 17-point deficit to Pramac’s Jorge Martin, who has won three Sunday races in comparison, including just one since the summer break.

A string of crashes in grands prix and sprints, plus some misfortune thrown in between, have hurt the Italian’s chances of clinching a third straight title in the premier class.

Speaking about the intra-Ducati championship battle, Tardozzi stressed that it is important that both Bagnaia and the factory team minimise errors in order to overcome Martin in the title race.

“In the end, if I have to say what bothers me a little is that Pecco has won half the races and is second in the championship. This is something that should and must give us pause for thought for the future,” Tardozzi told Autosport’s sister title, Motorsport.com Italy.

“We have made a few too many mistakes in the races, it must not be like that in the near future. But to have a rider who has won half the races is something important. 

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“Pecco is making history, right now he is outclassing a great guy like Casey Stoner, so thank you Pecco!’

Tardozzi also had words of encouragement for Martin, who he believes is now much more mature than during his failed title bid in 2023.

The former superbike racer explained that the Spaniard has learned to accept the best result possible on any given day, which has contributed to his consistency and a drastic reduction in crashes from leading positions.

"After last year when he lost the championship, Jorge was very good at understanding that he needed help on the emotional side,” said Tardozzi.

“I think that last winter he made big progress on a mental level and he's putting it into practice. 

“It's no coincidence that he's the world championship leader, when he has to settle he settles, something he wouldn't have done last year or in the past. We simply have to say well done to Jorge Martin.”