This is the news we were eagerly awaiting. Francesco Bagnaia indeed crashed heavily during the sprint race of the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix after being hit by Fermín Aldeguer, who completely missed his braking point on the first lap.
The Italian pilot was launched into the air before crashing heavily onto his back and coming to rest. The red flag was waved just before the drivers returned to the corner, and he was stretchered off the track. He appeared conscious on screen, but seemed to be in pain, and the extent of his injuries was unknown.
"Initial medical examinations carried out on Francesco Bagnaia at the Losail International Circuit medical center revealed two fractures in his right foot, affecting the fourth and fifth metatarsals. The rider will be transferred this evening to the hospital in Doha for further examinations to determine if surgery is necessary ," said Angel Charte, MotoGP's medical director.
The Ducati team has announced that he will logically be absent from tomorrow's Grand Prix. This is a real blow for Bagnaia , who was having one of the best weekends of his season, which has proven to be particularly difficult.
Yesterday, he automatically qualified for Q2 and made no secret of his joy at having rediscovered the same feeling he had at the Czech Republic Grand Prix, where he had won. Considering himself once again "a true factory rider ," he qualified in fifth position and was in the leading group when he was taken out by Aldeguer. Aldeguer also received a double long lap penalty, which he served when the race restarted.
It is still unknown whether Francesco Bagnaia 's 2026 season is now over, or whether he will be able to return to Portugal in 15 days and to Valencia in three weeks, to finish his career at Ducati before moving to Aprilia.
