Francesco Bagnaia reveals cause of unusual Japan MotoGP sprint retirement
Francesco Bagnaia says vibration from the rear tyre became so bad he could not finish the Motegi MotoGP sprint
12 months ago Francesco Bagnaia completed a stunning Motegi double, which turned out to be his only sprint and grand prix sweep of the year.
However, this year’s Japanese MotorGP sprint looked a lot different for the struggling Ducati rider, who failed to secure a Q2 spot before retiring from the 12-lap sprint late on.
The future Aprilia Racing rider believes he could have fought for ninth place had he not suffered severe vibration from the rear tyre.
The issues started for Bagnaia around the halfway mark and progressively got worse with each lap.
This was a stark contrast to the 12-lap sprint enjoyed by team-mate Marc Marquez, who went on to dominate the race ahead of title rival Jorge Martin, which later became Diogo Moreira following post-race position changes.
Although Bagnaia was left disappointed by the outcome of his sprint, the Italian remained pleased with the step made compared to Friday.
Bagnaia said: “I think we did a little step in front this morning. I was able to be a bit faster compared to yesterday, but the main issue was still the rear grip.
“I did my maximum in qualifying and I was hoping to be in Q2, but I missed that opportunity by going wide in the last corner. I don’t know if it was enough [anyway].”
In the race itself, Bagnaia clawed back two positions early on and was set for a potential battle with the likes of Fabio Quartararo and Fermin Aldeguer for P9 come the end of the race.
“In the race I started normally, but then I was recovering a bit,” added Bagnaia. “I recovered two positions after the crash of the three riders.
“The possibility of finishing ninth was there, but after half the race I started to struggle with vibration.
“Lap-by-lap it was [getting] worse and worse until I needed to stop. It’s a shame but it is what it is.
“If we can solve this issue we can figure out the rear tyre problem.”
Bagnaia will start Sunday’s grand prix from 13th on the grid, while team-mate Marquez will be looking to complete a Motegi double from second.
