Ducati rider Pecco Bagnaia has been hospitalised after a heavy crash in the sprint at the Qatar MotoGP. The Italian was clipped by Fermin Aldeguer and flung several metres into the air, prompting an immediate red flag and a halt to the race while he received medical assistance.
Marshals stretchered Bagnaia away before he was taken to hospital for an examination, where it was found that his right foot had been fractured. He has since taken to social media to issue an update on his condition.
Bagnaia's Social Media Update
Posting on Instagram, Bagnaia said: “What can I say? I’ll be right back guys. It feels strange to say it, but Qatar has actually been one of the best weekends of the season for me.”
“Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how hard you try to turn things around, they just don’t go your way. And there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m really sorry, but I want to take the positives from this weekend, because we’ve spent far too long being frustrated. Thank you all for your messages. I’m okay.”
Rival Reaction to the Crash
The collision was so severe it left Pedro Acosta, who was on track at the time, stunned. Commenting afterwards, Acosta said: “I saw the contact, it was a racing incident. In the end, I don’t think either of them could have done much in that situation.”
“I saw it up close. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a bad crash up close in MotoGP. I hope Pecco is okay, because it was a nasty hit, and that he can recover quickly.”
“He broke his foot? He got off lightly, considering how it could have turned out. It was a slightly premature and fairly aggressive pass, but I also understand Fermin’s position. He’s been out for so many races, and on the first race weekend, it’s not easy to get used to a MotoGP bike again — to all the aerodynamics and how the bike behaves, which can sometimes feel a bit unnatural. Anyone can make a mistake.”
Team Statement and Season Outlook
Bagnaia entered the weekend inside the top 10 in the overall standings. He performed well in Friday’s practice session and qualified fifth for Saturday’s sprint race, in which he had crept up to third in the early stages.
It is unclear how long the Italian will be out given the nature of his injury, but Bagnaia’s team released a statement on Sunday morning, which read: “Following yesterday’s crash during the Qatar GP Sprint, Francesco Bagnaia has sustained double fractures to the fourth and fifth metatarsals of his right foot. He will return to Italy this afternoon to undergo surgery to fix the injury. The operation is expected to take place between tomorrow and Tuesday. We will provide further updates as soon as possible.”
After Qatar, there remain just two races of the season, with Portugal the penultimate and then finally Valencia to round things off.
