Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia had a very difficult race weekend in Austin, especially during the main race on Sunday. Even though he showed some speed earlier in the weekend, his biggest problem came from his tyres, which caused him serious trouble once again.

Bagnaia explained that he completely ran out of grip from his rear tyre during the race. This made it very hard for him to continue at a competitive speed. He said that in the final part of the race, he simply did not have enough tyre left to push or fight with other riders.

This issue is not new for him. He admitted that tyre wear on Sundays has become a repeated problem in the 2026 season. While he can perform well in practice, qualifying, and even sprint races, the longer races expose this weakness much more clearly.

During the race in Austin, Bagnaia started in a strong position and looked competitive at first. However, as the laps went on, his pace dropped. The rear tyre wore out too quickly, and he was forced to slow down just to finish the race. In the end, he could only manage a low position, far from the podium.

Bagnaia said that the situation feels “strange” to him because he does not fully understand why the problem is happening. The bike feels good in some parts of the weekend, but not in the main race. This makes it difficult for him and his team, Ducati, to find a clear solution.

Because of these issues, Bagnaia admitted that on Sundays he is not really racing to win at the moment. Instead, he is often just trying to “survive” and bring the bike to the finish.

At the same time, other riders are performing better, especially those who can manage their tyres more effectively over a full race distance. This shows how important tyre control is in modern MotoGP.

If Bagnaia wants to fight for wins and the championship again, he and his team will need to understand and fix this tyre problem very soon. Until then, his Sundays may continue to be difficult.