Francesco Bagnaia refuses to race in Valencia "even at the cost" of MotoGP title

Francesco Bagnaia said he was “not prepared to race in Valencia” following the flooding disaster in the region “even at the cost" of the MotoGP title.

The city of Valencia and its surrounding towns have been badly affected by deadly flooding this week, with the death toll passing 150 and expected to rise still as recover efforts continue.

MotoGP has cancelled its season-finale in Valencia and is searching for an alternative location.

Before its official cancellation, Bagnaia made his position on the race going ahead clear.

“It depends on where it is held, because I don't think it is fair in any case for it to be held in Valencia,” he told the Italian media in his debrief on Friday at the Malaysian GP about the season finale.

“I sincerely hope that they will take into consideration the fact that, on an ethical level and given what is happening, it is not the right thing to do.

“Even at the cost of losing my ultimate goal, which is to win the title, I am not prepared to race in Valencia.”

Bagnaia trails Jorge Martin in the championship by 17 points, with a possible cancellation of the final round likely to impact him more than his Pramac rival.

After topping practice at Sepang on Friday, the uncertainty over the rest of the season has not changed Bagnaia’s approach.

“Honestly no,” he said. “I know that the important thing is to win, I have to win in any case, so for me the objective is that one, and I wanted to start well, I wanted to work well, and try to be constant and competitive in every situation.

“It’s from Assen that I was not leading both [Friday] sessions, and it’s the second time in my career, so this is great but we have to be focused on this race weekend and try to do the maximum.”