MotoGP Argentina GP: “I don’t understand,” Francesco Bagnaia left in utter disappointment as he crashed out at Rio Honda

Pecco Bagnaia is second in the MotoGP championship standings, after a crash at the Argentina GP.


MotoGP Argentina GP: “I don’t understand,” Francesco Bagnaia left in utter disappointment as he crashed out at Rio Honda

Francesco Bagnaia. Image via Italy 24 Press News.

The MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix was a disaster for the reigning world champion, Francesco Bagnaia. He ran third for the first 14 laps of the 25-lap wet GP at Rio Honda. Bagnaia then passed Alex Marquez and took second place. The championship leader looked forward to the podium. But his happiness was short-lived, as he slid off his Ducati on lap 17 at the penultimate corner. 

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However, Bagnaia rejoined the race and took the checkered flag in 16th place. This unfortunate event cost him points. He was dethroned as the championship leader by Marco Bezzecchi, who won the race. The 26-year-old did not hold back on his emotions. He expressed his frustration after the race. The Italian did not understand why he crashed. He was quite hard on himself and admitted his mistake.

Francesco Bagnaia stated, “I crashed. I’m very upset, sincerely. This is the kind of crash that I don’t understand. Sometimes you crash and you don’t know why, and it’s the most difficult to learn from. I did 16 laps, and in 16 laps I did the same manoeuvre [at that corner], but on this lap [17] I crashed and it’s also not a normal crash, because normally when you crash you lose the front or you release the brakes too early.”

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Francesco Bagnaia wanted to be a better rider in the 2023 season

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Francesco Bagnaia. Image via Okezone Sports.

Bagnaia further added, “Today I lost the front touching the gas, so it’s something more difficult to understand. But that’s it, I did a mistake. I was wondering if this year I was a better rider, more precise, without mistakes, doing better things. And in the second race of the year, I crashed. So, it’s something that makes me very angry.”

The 2022 MotoGP champion felt great after passing Alex Marquez. He was sure that Marco Bezzecchi, the VR46 Racing team rider, was too fast for him. Bagnaia had a five seconds gap with him already. He was gunning for second place on the podium. The Italian felt he was in control. Hence, he did not understand why he crashed. Many riders mentioned they suffered from tyre wear after the race. However, Francesco Bagnaia did not think that had anything to do with the crash. He explained that he was conservative at the start.

Bagnaia’s rear grip on his bike was fine, and he accelerated well. There were no major issues, and everything was in control. The reigning champion was angry with himself for making a mistake. Bagnaia won in the Algarve International Circuit, the first round of the 2023 MotoGP season. He had a solid lead going into round 2. Pecco Bagnaia will have to make up for the lost points and regain the lead in the upcoming races. 

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