Pecco Bagnaia, announcement after a scare: “I’ll be back right away”

The Qatar Grand Prix weekend ended prematurely in the worst possible way for Francesco Bagnaia. The Ducati rider was involved in a violent crash during the Lusail Sprint, following contact with Fermin Aldeguer, who rear-ended him at Turn 16, sending him flying off his Desmosedici. The crash caused great concern in the paddock and forced the Piedmont native to cut his Qatar weekend short.

Medical examinations revealed fractures of the fourth and fifth metatarsals in his right foot. This injury will prevent him from competing in Sunday’s race and will require surgery. Bagnaia has already left Qatar to return to Italy, where he will undergo the necessary treatment.

Despite the great disappointment, the three-time world champion wanted to send a reassuring message to his fans via social media. His words also reveal his determination not to let himself be discouraged by yet another stroke of bad luck in a particularly complicated season.

“What can I say? I’ll be back soon, guys. It’s strange to say, but Qatar was truly one of the best weekends of the season for me,” the Ducati rider wrote on Instagram. A message that captures Pecco’s state of mind well. In Lusail, in fact, he finally seemed to have rediscovered that positive feeling on the bike that had eluded him for most of 2026. Right from free practice, the Piedmont native had shown encouraging signs, managing to break into the top positions and regain his competitiveness.

After a difficult stretch marked by issues with his feel for the Desmosedici and results that fell short of expectations, the weekend in Qatar seemed poised to mark a major turning point. Bagnaia had finished pre-qualifying with the fourth-fastest time and secured a good grid position, showing promising pace ahead of the Sprint race as well. Then the crash wiped everything out: “Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter how hard you try to turn things around, things just don’t go the way you’d like. And there’s nothing you can do about it,” added the rider, making no secret of his disappointment over what had happened.

The message concludes on an optimistic note, however: “I’m really sorry, but I want to focus on the positives from this weekend, because we’ve spent far too much time feeling frustrated. Thanks to everyone for your messages. I’m fine.”