- Francesco Bagnaia fractured the fourth and fifth metatarsals of his right foot when Fermin Aldeguer hit him on lap one of the Qatar MotoGP sprint, and Ducati says surgery in Italy will follow between Monday and Tuesday.
- The two-time world champion, 29, wrote on Instagram that Qatar had still been one of the best weekends of his season, per Crash.net.
- Two Ducati rounds remain, in Portugal and Valencia, before his first ride on the Aprilia on December 1, and the team has given no return date.
The Best Weekend in Months Ended on a Stretcher
On Sunday morning, a day after the crash, Francesco Bagnaia posted a message on Instagram. He opened it this way: “What can I say? I’will be right back guys.”
Next came a line that few riders with a broken foot would write. “It feels strange to say it, but Qatar has actually been one of the best weekends of the season for me.”
He acknowledged the bad luck in the same post. “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.”
Then he turned to what he wanted to keep. “I’m really sorry, but I want to take the positives from this weekend, because we’ve spent far too long being frustrated.”
He closed with a note for the people who had written to him. “Thank you all for your messages. I’m okay.”
Bagnaia has spent the better part of two seasons in the doldrums with Ducati. The crash on Saturday ended the first weekend in a long time that went his way. His own words on Sunday claimed that weekend back.
Friday in Qatar: A Factory Rider Again
The weekend had started better than any in months. Bagnaia, a Turin native who won the 2022 and 2023 world championships with Ducati, had not felt this good on the GP26 at any race after the Czech Grand Prix at Brno in June, where he scored his last podium. Losail has a similar grip level and asphalt to Brno, and he had said he expected fewer problems with the rear of the bike.
He made it into Qualifying 2 for only the second time after the summer break, and he looked quick all day regardless of tyre compound or age. He eased into the session on Friday afternoon in fourth place in Practice. Afterward he explained how the day had unfolded.
“This morning, when I started, I didn’t understand [immediately] that there was a good chance to push.”
“But I was doing a little bit more this afternoon; I was already pushing from the start. But it happened because after such a long time without really feeling the bike, I was able to do so.”
“Today we just touched a little thing that helped a bit. I will continue like this.”
“I was expecting it [a little bit], honestly. Because of the layout, the grip, the asphalt – similar to Brno. I was expecting to have less problems with the rear grip. I felt much more support from the rear in the entrance of the corner.”
He also warned that Saturday would be harder. “Tomorrow will be more difficult in Free Practice 2 and the qualifying because it’s more hot [in the afternoon]. But then for the sprint, if I can start in the front, we can have a good chance.”
His last words of the day were the ones that stuck. “Today I enjoyed riding. Being in a factory team, struggling like I was in the last grand prix, was tough. And finally, today I was looking like a factory rider. I would like to enjoy it and use all this potential to give something new to the team.”
Bagnaia qualified fifth on Saturday. In the 11-lap sprint he made a good start and moved into the podium places in the opening corners before the field shuffled him back to fifth on the first lap.
One Corner, Two Fractures
The last corner of that first lap ended his weekend. Aldeguer, riding for Gresini Ducati, was fighting Pedro Acosta on the exit of Turn 15 and outbraked himself into the final turn. He hit the rear of Bagnaia’s factory Ducati, and the Italian was thrown high into the air.
The red flag came out. Marshals stretchered Bagnaia away, and he was reported conscious at the scene. The race restarted over 10 laps without him.
Ducati released its first statement after MotoGP medical director Dr Angel Charte examined him. “Initial medical examinations performed on Pecco Bagnaia at the medical center at the Losail International Circuit have revealed two fractures in his right foot, affecting the fourth and fifth metatarsals,”
“The rider will be transferred tonight to Doha Hospital to undergo further tests to determine whether the fractures require surgery.”
Sunday morning brought the answer. Ducati’s update 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.”
The FIM stewards looked at the incident at once and decided Aldeguer was at fault. They gave him two long lap penalties to serve in the restarted sprint, and he finished 11th, 9.429s off the lead. On Saturday it was unclear whether he would face further punishment for the Grand Prix.
The Other Side of the Crash
Aldeguer was racing for the first time after breaking his hand in Indonesia at the start of October. He spoke to the media after the sprint and began with an apology.
“First of all, I want to apologise to Pecco and the team.”
“I’ve already stopped by his garage and tried to explain as clearly as possible what happened.”
He still defended the move itself. “The crash was spectacular, but I don’t think I made such a crazy move, from my perspective.”
“I was trying to regain a position on Pedro, who had exited badly from Turn 15.”
“I saw the opportunity to get through at the last corner, but clearly he, after exiting badly, tried to defend his position.”
“We were a little past the halfway point of the track, towards the right, and we know that here in Qatar, when you go off the racing line, it’s a bit of a lottery.”
“I wasn’t able to brake the bike as I would have liked.”
On the reaction to his apology, he added: “In the end, some understand that these things can happen in the race, while others take it more personally.”
“But I can only apologise and try to prevent something like this from happening again in the next races.”
“In the end, that’s how it goes: sometimes you make a mistake, other times you suffer it.”
The Man Taking His Seat Saw It All
Acosta had a front-row seat. He was between the two riders as they approached the final corner, and he is the rider who will replace Bagnaia at Ducati Lenovo next season. Acosta’s move to Ducati is set for 2027, which put him in an unusual spot on Saturday: watching the man whose seat he takes suffer the crash. After the sprint, he said:
“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 [Francesco Bagnaia] is okay, because it was a nasty hit, and that he can recover quickly.”
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider called the injury a lucky escape. “He broke his foot? He got off lightly, considering how it could have turned out,”
Acosta also defended Aldeguer. “It was a slightly premature and fairly aggressive pass, but I also understand Fermin’s [Aldeguer] 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.”
What Is Left of the Ducati Years
Bagnaia sits out the Qatar Grand Prix, and the calendar leaves him little room. Two rounds remain after Qatar: Portugal on November 20 to 22, and Valencia a week later. The two-week gap before the Iberian double-header that ends the season is a break in his favor.
Ducati has no further update on his condition, so his return date is unknown. The three Ducati races that stood between Bagnaia and his exit before Qatar are now two.
Bagnaia recently said he was counting down the days until he can move on to Aprilia and start fresh. After the Valencia race, his decision to join Aprilia brings his first ride on the bike, in the post-race test at Ricardo Tormo on December 1.
In his own words, the weekend that ended on a stretcher was one of his best of the year. Surgery is expected this week, and the Aprilia ride waits on December 1. Between the two sit the Portugal and Valencia rounds, and a rider who says he will be back.
