Pecco Bagnaia taken to hospital after violent Qatar MotoGP sprint crash

Ducati has confirmed Pecco Bagnaia has been taken to hospital in Qatar after suffering fractures to his foot in a violent crash in the MotoGP sprint race on Saturday.

The Italian had been having one of his best weekends of the season, after easing into Q2 on Friday afternoon in fourth in Practice, before qualifying fifth on his factory Ducati.

Bagnaia made a good start in the 11-lap sprint and managed to get into the podium places in the opening corners, before being shuffled back to fifth as the first lap unfolded.

At the final corner, Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer ran into Bagnaia and sent the Italian into a violent accident, which led to the race being red-flagged.

Bagnaia to be assessed for surgery

Bagnaia was stretchered away by the marshals, but was reported as conscious at the scene of the incident.

Ducati has now confirmed he suffered multiple fractures in his right foot and will now be assessed for surgery in hospital in Doha tonight.

A brief statement from Ducati read: “Angel Charte, MotoGP Medical Director [says] initial medical examinations carried out on Francesco Bagnaia at the Lusail International Circuit Medical Centre have revealed two fractures in his right foot, involving the fourth and fifth metatarsals.

“The rider will be transferred to Doha Hospital tonight for further tests to determine whether the fractures require surgery.”

Ducati hasn’t officially confirmed that Bagnaia will be absent from Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix, but this seems highly likely based on the team’s update.

Bagnaia is now in the final races of his time as a Ducati rider before his move to Aprilia next season.

He will hope to be fit to see out the final two rounds in Portugal and Valencia, before riding the Aprilia for the first time at the post-race Valencia test on 1 December.

How did the stewards react to the incident?

The FIM stewards immediately investigated the incident between Bagnaia and Aldeguer, and determined that the Gresini rider was at fault.

He was served with two long lap penalties for the restarted 10-lap sprint. It’s unclear if there will be further punishment for tomorrow’s main race.

Should Bagnaia not be able to start the Qatar Grand Prix, it will be a boost to Aprilia’s Jorge Martin, who will moved up from 11th to 10th on the grid.

After finishing third in the sprint, Martin must score points tomorrow if Marc Marquez wins the race to stop the Ducati rider from wrapping up the 2026 world title.