Francesco Bagnaia revealed he struggled through severe discomfort and dizziness during the Catalan Grand Prix after being caught in a major crash involving Johann Zarco and Luca Marini.
The dramatic incident occurred during the first restart of Sunday’s race when Zarco collided heavily with Bagnaia and Marini, sending all three riders into the gravel.
Zarco suffered significant injuries after his leg became trapped in Bagnaia’s Ducati and was later diagnosed with knee ligament damage and a small ankle fracture.
Bagnaia initially escaped serious injury, but the Ducati rider later admitted the crash left him physically compromised for the remainder of the race.
“My impact on the ground was very intense,” Bagnaia said after the race.
Source: Suomy
The Italian explained that he began feeling dizzy shortly after the second start, especially under braking, forcing him to carefully manage his pace throughout the race distance.
“Every time I was braking, I felt dizzy. I had to slow down because maybe I wasn’t fully prepared to continue racing,” he said.
Medical checks after the race ruled out damage to his wrist, but Bagnaia revealed the discomfort was linked to neck trauma sustained during the fall.
“The problem is in my neck. The muscles are contracted after the impact, and that’s why I feel dizzy,” he added.
The chaotic Grand Prix featured multiple red flags following a series of major incidents, including an earlier crash triggered when Pedro Acosta suffered an electrical issue while leading the race, which also collected Alex Marquez.
Following the repeated stoppages, Bagnaia questioned whether race control should reconsider allowing multiple restarts after serious accidents.
“Maybe we need a rule where, after incidents like these, we don’t restart the race three times,” he said.
Despite the physical struggle, Bagnaia crossed the line in fifth place before post-race penalties for Joan Mir and Ai Ogura promoted him to third position.
The result secured Ducati’s first podium finish of the 2026 MotoGP season and capped off a determined performance from the double world champion in one of the toughest races of the year so far.
