Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia’s race-ending crash at the French Grand Prix last weekend may not be what it seemed. Bagnaia was running second when he lost the front of his Ducati on lap 16.
It was a crushing outcome for the Italian, who was on for his best record since winning the Japanese GP last autumn. He had taken pole position and finished second in the Sprint.
But with Ducati’s hopes riding on him after Marc Marquez’s weekend-ending crash on Saturday, he suffered a third DNF in five races and eighth in the last 10.
How is Francesco Bagnaia’s downturn affecting his MotoGP legacy?
Was Francesco Bagnaia really to blame for Le Mans crash?
Bagnaia had retired from the Spanish GP due to a brake issue, and he told the press on Sunday (via Motorpasion Moto): “The crash was due to the same problem I had in Jerez. I tried to maintain the same pace, but I lost the front wheel.”
It seems, then, that Bagnaia’s brakes started to deteriorate, but this time he continued to push in search of a podium, a risk that predictably backfired.
Indeed, KTM’s Pedro Acosta, who was chasing Bagnaia in P3, noticed a change in the Italian’s riding style: “He’d been doing something strange for a few laps.”
This supports the idea that Bagnaia wasn’t entirely to blame for the accident, even if none of the other Ducati riders were affected. Fabio Di Giannantonio led the way in fourth, with Fermin Aldeguer ninth and Franco Morbidelli scraping into the points in 14th.
Gresini rider Alex Marquez crashed out of the race early on in an unrelated incident.
New detail emerges about Francesco Bagnaia’s post-crash outburst
Bagnaia was visibly furious after the accident, kicking out at two objects near the marshal post before he returned to the pits.
The world feed broadcast had already shown Bagnaia storming out of the Ducati garage and returning to his room in the paddock.
Now, Motorpasion Moto reveal that Bagnaia got up and walked away as soon as team manager Davide Tardozzi approached him. If a mechanical problem contributed to the DNF, then one can understand his frustration.
Bagnaia will be the only factory Ducati on track at the Catalan GP this weekend after the team elected not to replace Marquez.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
