Pecco Bagnaia responds to Qatar crash as Ducati provides surgery update
Pecco Bagnaia has provided an update after his Qatar crash
Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia has taken to social media to provide an update following his heavy crash in the Qatar MotoGP sprint, which left him with fractures in his foot.
The double world champion was involved in a collision on the opening lap of Saturday’s sprint, when Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer outbraked himself into the last corner while battling with Pedro Acosta.
Aldeguer hit into the rear of Bagnaia’s factory Ducati, which sent the Italian into a violent accident that brought out the red flags.
Bagnaia had to be stretchered away by marshals, and was later taken to hospital for further evaluation of fractures to his right foot.
“I will be right back guys”
The Italian will miss Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix, while Ducati has now confirmed he will undergo surgery.
An update from the team on Sunday morning 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."
In a post on Instagram, Bagnaia called Qatar “one of the best weekends of the season”, and wanted to hold onto that rather than focus on the crash.
He wrote: “What can I say? I’will be right back guys.
“It feels strange to say it, but Qatar has actually been one of the best weekends of the season for me.
“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.
“I’m really sorry, but I want to take the positives from this weekend, because we’ve spent far too long being frustrated.
“Thank you all for your messages. I’m okay.”
Bagnaia eased into Q2 in Friday afternoon’s Practice and qualified fifth, while in the early stages of the sprint he managed to get into the podium places.
No timeline for Bagnaia’s return yet
Ducati is yet to provide a further update on Bagnaia’s condition, so it is unclear when the Italian will return to action.
The 2026 season has been difficult for Bagnaia, who recently noted that he was now just counting down the days until he can move on to Aprilia and start fresh.
Two rounds remain following this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, with Portugal up next on the weekend of 20-22 November.
Valencia follows a week later, before Bagnaia rides the Aprilia for the first time in the post-race test at Ricardo Tormo on 1 December.
