Francesco Bagnaia’s race at the MotoGP French Grand Prix ended abruptly after a crash at turn 3 of Le Mans, caused by contact with Enea Bastianini from Red Bull KTM Tech3. Bagnaia, riding for Ducati Lenovo, dropped to the mid-pack following the start and struggled with bike stability, which forced him to ease off the throttle. He described the situation, saying,
“I was with the rain tyres. I started very well in the first part, then I started to spin. When I was arriving to the first corner I needed to close the gas because the spin was too much. So, I could have a moment entering into turn 1.”
This loss of momentum left Bagnaia vulnerable to the riders around him, and as Bastianini moved on his left and onto the kerb, contact occurred.
“By closing the gas, all the riders overtook me, and I just tried to enter turn 3 very well without taking too much risk. And I just felt that someone was going over the kerb and touched me,”
Bagnaia explained. The collision resulted in the crash that ended his race prematurely.
Bagnaia noted that such incidents are not uncommon at this circuit, particularly when riders use different tyre specifications.
“It’s not the first time we have this kind of situation at this circuit. But when we have two different tyre specs, it’s easier to have this kind of accidents,”
he added, highlighting how tyre choices can increase the risk of collisions during tight racing moments.
The crash not only dashed Bagnaia’s hopes for points but also raised concerns about safety and strategy in mixed tyre conditions at Le Mans. As the season progresses, teams and riders may need to reconsider approaches to tyre selection and race tactics to avoid similar costly incidents in future events.
