UPDATE: Bagnaia fit to race after heavy Portimao accident, Fernandez out
Factory Ducati’s reigning MotoGP title runner-up Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini’s world championship leader Enea Bastianini face a challenging Portimao race after suffering big Saturday accidents.
UPDATE: On Sunday morning Francesco Bagnaia was declared fit to race. Ducati added: 'He had a good night's sleep and despite [still feeling] a bit of pain, he is ready to join riders on track for the warm-up and the race'.
However, Tech3 KTM rookie Raul Fernandez will not participate after being declared unfit to ride due to a hand injury in Q1 yesterday.
Both were caught out during Qualifying 1, as track conditions crossed from wet to dry tyres for the first time this weekend.
After an out-lap on wets, Bagnaia returned straight to the pits for slicks, but fell hard when he hit a wet patch at Turn 2 on his first flying lap.
The Italian walked away, but worryingly seemed to be nursing a right shoulder injury and returned to the paddock in an ambulance.
Medical checks at the circuit found no fractures, but the level of pain meant Bagnaia was then referred to a local hospital for further examination.
Late on Saturday, Ducati announced that the hospital scans ‘fortunately confirmed the initial diagnosis. Tomorrow morning, before the warm-up, Pecco will be examined again by the Federation's doctors to get the final clearance for the race’.
Just twelfth in the world championship and still seeking his first podium of the season, Bagnaia is set to line-up 25th and last on the grid.
Team-mate Jack Miller, renowned for his skills in mixed conditions, explained that because Bagnaia pitted at the end of his out-lap on wet tyres, and therefore hadn't completed a full lap, he didn’t have any prior experience of the damp patches at Turns 1 and 2 until arriving on his flying lap with slicks.
“A banker lap wouldn’t have hurt and would give you a chance to understand where the wet patches are, without immediately having to do it on the slicks,” said Miller, who went on to claim fourth on the grid.
“It was tough conditions for those guys in Qualifying 1 because they were on the bridge, in between wet and dry. It was clear slicks for us [in Qualifying 2] but at the beginning of Qualifying 1 it was not clear. My opinion was wets and then go over to slicks at the end.”
Enea Bastianini, Portuguese MotoGP, 23 April
Bastianini: A good challenge at MotoGO Portimao…
Starting on wets then switching to slicks was a tactic followed by Bastianini, but it didn't prevent his downfall later in the same Q1 session. After an initial run on wet tyres and then building his speed on slicks, the Italian fell victim to the unpredictable track conditions on his second flying lap.
The double MotoGP winner was launched from his GP21 at Turn 5, receiving a heavy impact to his right wrist in the process. X-rays ruled out any fractures but the sore wrist, combined with 18th place on the grid, means he faces a ‘good challenge’ tomorrow.
“On my last lap, to try and enter Q2 I pushed on the limit and lost the rear without throttle at Turn 5,” Bastianini said. “For me it was the cold temperature of the tyre. I made two laps slow and then pushed and [crashed].
“I have pain but nothing is broken, I’ll put ice on it and hope tomorrow will be better. It will be complicated and I need to understand my position in warm-up and to try to recover some positions in the race.
“It is a good challenge for me tomorrow.
“I must be fast in warm-up to start the race strongly, because if I am slow without feeling in warm-up then to recover positions in the race will not be easy.”
Bastianini will start Sunday’s race with a five-point title lead over nearest rival Alex Rins, who only qualified in 23rd for Suzuki.
However, Aleix Espargaro, currently 11 points behind Bastianini in third, lines up on the front row behind Johann Zarco and Joan Mir.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
