Bagnaia Questions 2026 Assen MotoGP Sprint Penalty

Francesco Bagnaia questioned the one-position penalty he received in the 2026 Assen MotoGP Sprint after touching the green run-off at the final chicane while attempting to pass Jorge Martin.

The Ducati Lenovo Team rider crossed the line sixth but was demoted to seventh after being judged to have exceeded track limits on the final lap. Bagnaia said the move was necessary to avoid contact with Martin, who had exited the chicane poorly.

"He exited very badly from the last chicane, so I just tried to go on the inside but it was the line and I was hitting him, so I needed to move over on the green."

Read AlsoMarco Bezzecchi Tops 2026 Assen MotoGP Warm Up

"Honestly, I want to rewatch the image because I think more than half the time I was on the kerb, so it's a bit on the limit this penalty. Maybe the sensor is too close to the kerb and there's no margin of error."

Bagnaia said he wants clarification from MotoGP chief steward Simon Crafar because he believes the incident involved a safety manoeuvre. He argued that he did not fully touch the green area and moved aside to avoid a collision.

"I just want to ask Crafar maybe to refresh a bit my idea of the green on that because I think I was there because I was catching from behind, so it was a safety manoeuvre and I didn't touch the green fully. Maybe we need to reconsider this in case of safety."

Bagnaia also admitted his poor start compromised the Sprint. He said he was too eager with the clutch while the red lights were still on, forcing him to recover the clutch and lose momentum at launch.

"Honestly, it was my mistake. I was too eager and I was close to getting the right to penalty. I was releasing the clutch with the red light still on, so I needed to re-catch the clutch. With that start, it was impossible to fight with Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura."

The Italian also reported excessive vibration at Turns 7 and 15, the two fastest left-hand corners at Assen. Despite the setbacks, he felt his race potential was higher than the final result and viewed his Sprint approach this season as an improvement.