BAGNAIA TO MISS QATAR GP AFTER SPRINT CRASH CAUSES FOOT FRACTURES

The Qatar MotoGP Sprint was stopped by a red flag after a first-lap collision involving Pecco Bagnaia and Fermin Aldeguer at the final corner.

Bagnaia had made a strong start, moving into the podium places behind Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez. He then slipped back to fifth as the opening lap unfolded. Aldeguer, battling Pedro Acosta after the KTM rider exited Turn 15 poorly, misjudged his braking into the final corner and struck Bagnaia’s rear wheel. The Ducati was torn apart as it tumbled, while Bagnaia was thrown high into the air and hit the track hard.

Acosta, who was between the two riders as they approached the corner, said it was the worst MotoGP crash he had witnessed at close quarters in a long time. “I saw it up close,” he said. “I hope Pecco is okay, because it was a nasty hit, and that he can recover quickly.” Bagnaia broke two metatarsals in his right foot. Acosta considered that a fortunate outcome given the severity of the impact: “He got off lightly, considering how it could have turned out.”

Bagnaia was conscious after the crash and was seen talking to marshals before being taken away on a stretcher. Initial examinations found fractures to the fourth and fifth metatarsals in his right foot, along with extensive bruising. He was transferred to a Doha hospital for further tests, then flown to Italy overnight, where he is due to undergo surgery, expected between Monday and Tuesday. He will miss Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix. His availability for the final races in Portugal and Valencia is uncertain, as is his planned first test on Aprilia’s 850cc bike on December 1. Ducati has not provided a further update on his condition.

Despite the injury, Bagnaia struck a positive note in a social media message. He called Qatar “one of the best weekends of the season” and said: “It feels strange to say, but Qatar was actually one of the best weekends of the season for me.” He added that sometimes events do not go as hoped, however hard a rider tries to turn things around. “I want to take the positives from this weekend, because we have had to deal with frustration for far too long,” he said, thanking supporters for their messages and assuring them: “I’m fine.” He also wrote: “I will be right back guys.” He made no public criticism of Aldeguer.

Bagnaia received messages of support from several figures in MotoGP. Ducati teammate Marc Marquez commented: “Forza Pecco.” Loris Capirossi and Michele Pirro also sent messages of encouragement.

The crash came during what had been one of Bagnaia’s strongest weekends of the 2026 season: he was fourth in Friday’s practice and fifth in qualifying, half a second behind pole-sitter Bezzecchi. On Friday, Bagnaia said he felt support from the rear and could push the front of his GP26. Less than a day before the crash, he had said he “finally” felt like a factory rider again. He had scored four podiums during a difficult season.

The FIM stewards found Aldeguer at fault and issued him two long-lap penalties for the restarted Sprint. He served them and finished 11th, 9.429 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez. The race was halted, with the restart scheduled for 10 laps—one fewer than the original distance.

Aldeguer apologised to Bagnaia and the Ducati team, saying he had visited their garage to explain what happened. But he defended his decision to attempt the pass. “I don’t think I made such a crazy move, from my perspective,” he said. He explained that he saw a chance to get past at the final corner while trying to regain a position from Acosta, but said Bagnaia tried to defend. Aldeguer added that riders going off the racing line in Qatar face “a bit of a lottery” and that he could not brake as he wanted. He said some people understand that mistakes happen in racing, while others take them more personally, and added: “I can only apologise and try to prevent something like this from happening again.”

Acosta also defended Aldeguer, who was racing for the first time since breaking his hand in Indonesia in early October. He described the pass as “slightly premature and fairly aggressive”, but said returning to a MotoGP bike after missing races is difficult: “Anyone can make a mistake.”

TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson criticised Aldeguer’s attempt, saying he had come from too far back and was on the dirty part of the track. “He was heading into a dead end, into a roadblock!” Hodgson said, calling it “a silly move” and describing the crash as violent. After reviewing the incident again, he said Acosta had also been aggressive, but argued Aldeguer had committed to the move before the braking zone. “There’s no gap to just slot in,” Hodgson said. “That was appalling.”

Acosta finished sixth after being outside the top 10 in Friday’s practice. He said the first Sprint start had gone well and he felt fast, but struggled to get the tyres working and find rhythm after the restart. He said a similar problem had occurred during a restart in Barcelona and suggested tyre pressures might be involved. After earlier problems linked to low pressure, KTM had played it safe, he explained, but now needed to find the right balance.