Francesco Bagnaia has taken full duty for his crash out of second within the French Grand Prix, admitting he didn’t need to let Marco Bezzecchi escape on the entrance.
Bagnaia made a poor launch from pole place at Le Mans however rapidly recovered to second, sandwiched between the bikes of Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.
As race chief Bezzecchi started to drag away on the entrance and Acosta elevated the strain from behind, Bagnaia misplaced the front-end of his Ducati at Flip 3 and hit the deck, struggling his third DNF of 2026.
The incident marked a untimely finish to what had been a robust weekend for the two-time MotoGP champion, who had lastly appeared comfy on the bike after a troublesome begin to the 12 months.
Whereas revealing that the identical technical difficulty that led to his retirement at Jerez reappeared at Le Mans, the Italian felt the crash in the end got here right down to his personal eagerness to remain within the struggle.
“When a rider crashes, 90% of the time it’s his personal fault,” he stated. “My crash was a results of the insecurity I used to be feeling. I used to be restricted by a bit of difficulty on the bike that slowed us down.
“I attempted to maintain up the identical tempo though I couldn’t. Sadly, I crashed.
“I completely didn’t need to let him get away. I didn’t need to lose right now. I wished to remain there. I used to be having an absolute blast. So I gave it my all so long as I might.
“If I’d been main the championship, I positively would have reacted in a different way. However right now, seeing the prospect to win, I went for it — as I ought to have.”
He added: “I gave it every part I had. I used to be proper there, proper on Bezzecchi’s tail, and I used to be decided not to surrender. As a result of, in spite of everything, while you’re using like that — when you’ve gotten that type of confidence – you push your self to 200%.
“And sadly, the crash was the consequence of making an attempt to enter the nook in the very same method, though I used to be now not ready to take action.”
Chasing the win: “I’ll crash if I’ve to”
Since shedding the 2024 MotoGP title by a whisker to Jorge Martin, who by the way scored his first win in two years at Le Mans, Bagnaia has been struggling to rediscover his type in MotoGP.
Whereas there have been flashes of tempo final 12 months, together with wins at each Austin and Motegi, he lacked consistency and ended the marketing campaign with 5 consecutive Sunday retirements.
The Italian’s fortunes have improved this 12 months, notably in dash races, however he hasn’t been in a position to usually problem his team-mate Marc Marquez or Ducati’s new prime canine, Fabio di Giannantonio.
Bagnaia stated that he modified his strategy within the lead-up to the French GP, prioritising chasing outright victories over settling for a podium place.
“Earlier than searching for consistency, I’m making an attempt to place the bike proper up there on the entrance,” he stated. That’s precisely what occurred in 2022. It’s true that I had already received two races earlier than I actually began hitting my stride.
“However the objective was to win. Profitable is totally obligatory. Actually, I stated as a lot once I was again dwelling final week.
“I’m going there for the subsequent race. I got here to that conclusion on Sunday. I don’t give a rattling about something — I’ll even crash if I’ve to.
“I crashed twice this weekend. However it was additionally the weekend the place we got here nearer to matching Aprilia’s tempo when it comes to sheer pace than we now have at some other level this season. So, we simply want to remain constructive and preserve pushing on this path.”
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