Pecco Bagnaia gives Johann Zarco Valencia MotoGP crash verdict

Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia says the collision triggered by Johann Zarco that took him out of the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix “was a racing incident”.

The double world champion registered his fifth successive grand prix non-finish at the Valencia Grand Prix finale, after he was taken down by LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco on the opening lap.

Pecco Bagnaia’s weekend was complicated by a fuelling error in qualifying leaving him 16th on the grid, though he felt he could have challenged for a top six result on Sunday.

Zarco was given a long lap penalty for the collision, which Bagnaia feels was the correct punishment.

“Honestly, the race just lasted 25 seconds,” he began.

“I was quite ready. I overtook six riders, so it was a good start.

“Just Zarco missed the braking point, and it was a racing incident. I think it was a racing incident, something that can happen.

“The penalty they gave to him was the correct one, and fair.

“This track is not easy. The first laps here are tough, difficult, with our bikes.

“He was just a bit too optimistic. But I could have done the same in corner two when I overtook three riders, and nothing happened.

“He tried to do the same, and he missed the braking, but nothing too strange.”

Bagnaia’s exit from the Valencia Grand Prix, as well as his qualifying issue, comes just a few weeks after a puncture robbed him of a podium in Malaysia.

Having started the campaign as a title contender, Bagnaia ends it in fifth in the standings.

“In any case, one of the hardest, and maybe the worst seasons I’ve had - mostly the last part,” he said.

“So, not much more to say about it. I think I said enough during the season, and now I’m just looking forward to riding the bike in the test, hoping that we will find the solution.

“I’m a dreamer, so I still believe it will be possible, and see if we can start with a good base for the test in February.”

“Negativity is never the key”, as Bagnaia reflects on tough 2025

Asked for his thoughts after the crash, and the season he has had, Bagnaia doesn’t want to reflect on the season with much negativity as he feels doing so lately has “attracted negative things”.

“Clearly, after this season, I just would have liked to have enjoyed it, to have had fun during the race.

“For three corners I had fun, and I think the possibility of a good race was there to finish in the top seven, top six.

“That would have been a fantastic result, and I think it was possible, considering the feeling on the medium and the big fuel tank.

“So, a good race was possible. Honestly, again today, crashing or having an issue yesterday, and having an issue on Friday morning.

“So, I think negativity is never the key, and when you start to think negative things, you attract negative things.

“It’s what happened to us. I think everyone was tired, and the season was quite tough for everybody, long, and if you’re enjoying the season, even if it’s long, you arrive to the last part in an easy way.

“In our situation, that we were reaching the top three in the championship and aiming to fight for one or two in the championship, and then what happened, happened.

“Also the team started to be tired like me, and it’s difficult to work in that situation.

“I made many mistakes, like yesterday in qualifying, to not be fast in the first attempt. And the team also did one. But it’s part of the job.”

Q. Difficult 2020 end. Similar approach for this winter?

PB: “I hope. I think the 2020 season ended in a disaster way, but for the incident with the leg. In the last part of the season I was completely destroyed by the crash in Brno and the operation.