Ducati issues fresh Pecco Bagnaia surgery update after nasty Qatar MotoGP crash
Ducati says Pecco Bagnaia has had successful surgery following a crash in Qatar
Ducati has announced that Pecco Bagnaia has undergone successful surgery on his right foot following a heavy crash at last weekend’s MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix.
The double world champion was knocked off his factory Ducati when Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer outbraked himself into the last corner on the opening lap of the sprint at Lusail.
Bagnaia had to be stretchered away by marshals, while the sprint was red-flagged briefly.
He was later diagnosed with multiple fractures in his right foot and was ruled out of last Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.
No timeline for Bagnaia’s return yet
Bagnaia underwent surgery in Turin on Tuesday, which Ducati says was a success.
The Italian will now begin rehabilitation, though Ducati has not given any timeline for Bagnaia’s return.
A statement from the team read: “Francesco Bagnaia successfully underwent surgery this morning to fix the double fracture of the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones in his right foot, sustained following a highside crash in the early stages of last Saturday's Qatar GP Sprint.
“The medical team led by Dr. Luigi Milano, at the Humanitas Cellini Clinic in Turin, successfully secured a plate to the fourth metatarsal of the right foot.
“The Ducati Lenovo Team rider will begin his rehabilitation as soon as possible.
“His recovery progress over the coming days will determine the exact timeline for his return to competition.”
Latest injury woes an unfortunate sendoff to Bagnaia’s Ducati tenure
Bagnaia had been having one of his better weekends of the season before the Qatar sprint crash, having eased directly into Q2 and qualified fifth on the grid.
He briefly got into the podium places at the start of the sprint, before being taken out of the race by Aldeguer.
The FIM stewards handed Aldeguer a double long lap penalty for the restarted sprint, with the Spaniard later protesting that he didn’t do anything “crazy” at that moment.
Bagnaia has just two races left as a Ducati rider before his move to Aprilia, with this injury setback another grim moment this season overshadowing what a successful partnership it has been.
He said on Instagram of his crash: “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.”
