TARDOZZI EXPECTS BAGNAIA BACK FOR VALENCIA AFTER QATAR CRASH

Francesco Bagnaia’s crash in the Qatar Sprint has put his final races as a Ducati rider in doubt, but team manager Davide Tardozzi expects him to be fit for the Valencia finale and hopes he can return even sooner in Portugal.

Bagnaia was thrown from his bike after first-lap contact with Fermin Aldeguer. The violent highside prompted a red flag, and the Italian was taken away on a stretcher. Doctors found fractures in two bones in his foot—a relatively fortunate diagnosis given the severity of the accident. He missed Sunday’s Grand Prix.

The injury has raised questions about whether Bagnaia has already made his last appearance for Ducati. He is due to join Aprilia, and a return before the season ends would give him valuable time on the bike ahead of preparations for 2027. The first test is scheduled for 1 December. Bagnaia, like most riders changing manufacturers, has so far been unable to take part in testing with the new 850cc machines and Pirelli tyres.

Tardozzi told Sky Sports Italy that the team was working to arrange surgery quickly after Bagnaia returned to Italy. “Pecco is landing at Malpensa and I hope he’ll have surgery on Monday, or Tuesday morning at the latest, I think in Turin,” he said. But a Portugal comeback depends on the operation and medical advice. “We can’t decide now because he needs the operation, the doctors need to give us the chance to do it, and we need to understand what the post-op will be like.”

Tardozzi said Bagnaia had made his wish clear before leaving: “I want to be at Portimao.” The team manager added: “There’s no doubt he’ll be at Valencia, but we really hope to have him with us at Portimao.”

Bagnaia recently said he was counting the “minutes” until the season ended, but missing the finale could leave him with less preparation for his move to Aprilia. Jorge Martin’s experience offers a caution: he suffered two injuries in the off-season before joining Aprilia in 2025, and the resulting lack of mileage may still be affecting him. Bagnaia’s last previous absence was during the 2020 Austrian double-header, when a knee injury kept him out.