Francesco Bagnaia is having a tough start to the 2025 season. Despite struggling to get comfortable on the bike, he believes that his current issues are no worse than they were at the beginning of 2024. However, he admitted that this season’s challenges are much harder due to the intense competition he is up against.

Bagnaia is already behind his new teammate, Marc Marquez, by 31 points. While Marquez is dominating the season so far, winning both the sprint races and grands prix, Bagnaia has only managed three third-place finishes and a fourth-place result in the Argentina race.

“I expected more from myself,” Bagnaia admitted in an interview with Motorsport. “But as soon as the race started, I struggled to find my rhythm. I was just a tenth of a second per lap behind, but that was enough to lose ground to Marc and Alex Marquez.”

Bagnaia also pointed out that battles with Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli cost him time, making it impossible to finish higher than fourth. “I was trying everything, but more than fourth was tough today,” he added.

Reflecting on his current struggles, Bagnaia made it clear that his goal isn’t just to finish on the podium—it is to win. “Fourth is not my place. Even third is not my place,” he emphasized.

Although he believes his situation was worse at the start of 2024, he acknowledged a key difference this year: Marc Marquez. “Marc won’t make mistakes,” Bagnaia said. “Last year, my bike felt worse, but now my main problem is getting back the feeling I had at the end of last season.”

Bagnaia noted some improvements during the Argentina race, but he still feels something is off, especially with the control of the rear tire. “The feeling is a bit strange right now. We need to solve it,” he admitted.

Bagnaia’s next chance to turn things around will come at the Americas Grand Prix. However, it won’t be easy, as Marquez has an outstanding record at the Austin circuit.