Francesco Bagnaia explains French GP crash: “I didn’t want to lose, I was having a blast”

Bagnaia took encouragement from his most competitive weekend of the season, even though it ended in a crash

Francesco Bagnaia has taken full responsibility for his crash out of second in the French Grand Prix, admitting he didn’t want to let Marco Bezzecchi escape at the front.

Bagnaia made a poor launch from pole position at Le Mans but quickly recovered to second, sandwiched between the bikes of Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.

As race leader Bezzecchi began to pull away at the front and Acosta increased the pressure from behind, Bagnaia lost the front-end of his Ducati at Turn 3 and hit the deck, suffering his third DNF of 2026.

The incident marked a premature end to what had been a strong weekend for the two-time MotoGP champion, who had finally appeared comfortable on the bike after a tough start to the year.

While revealing that the same technical issue that led to his retirement at Jerez reappeared at Le Mans, the Italian felt the crash ultimately came down to his own eagerness to stay in the fight.

“When a rider crashes, 90% of the time it’s his own fault,” he said. “My crash was a result of the lack of confidence I was feeling. I was limited by a little issue on the bike that slowed us down.

“I tried to keep up the same pace even though I couldn’t. Unfortunately, I crashed.

“I absolutely didn’t want to let him get away. I didn’t want to lose today. I wanted to stay there. I was having an absolute blast. So I gave it my all as long as I could.

“If I’d been leading the championship, I definitely would have reacted differently. But today, seeing the chance to win, I went for it — as I should have.”

He added: “I gave it everything I had. I was right there, right on Bezzecchi's tail, and I was determined not to give up. Because, after all, when you're riding like that — when you have that kind of confidence - you push yourself to 200%.

“And unfortunately, the crash was the consequence of trying to enter the corner in the exact same way, even though I was no longer able to do so.”

Chasing the win: "I’ll crash if I have to"

Since losing the 2024 MotoGP title by a whisker to Jorge Martin, who incidentally scored his first win in two years at Le Mans, Bagnaia has been struggling to rediscover his form in MotoGP.

While there were flashes of pace last year, including wins at both Austin and Motegi, he lacked consistency and ended the campaign with five consecutive Sunday retirements.

The Italian’s fortunes have improved this year, particularly in sprint races, but he hasn’t been able to regularly challenge his team-mate Marc Marquez or Ducati’s new top dog, Fabio di Giannantonio.

Bagnaia said that he changed his approach in the lead-up to the French GP, prioritising chasing outright victories over settling for a podium position.

“Before seeking consistency, I’m trying to put the bike right up there at the front,” he said. That’s exactly what happened in 2022. It’s true that I had already won two races before I really started hitting my stride.

“But the goal was to win. Winning is absolutely mandatory. Honestly, I said as much when I was back home last week.

“I’m going there for the next race. I came to that conclusion on Sunday. I don’t give a damn about anything — I’ll even crash if I have to.

“I crashed twice this weekend. But it was also the weekend where we came closer to matching Aprilia’s pace in terms of sheer speed than we have at any other point this season. So, we just need to stay positive and keep pushing in this direction.”