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'He could still turn it round' - Francesco Bagnaia still has a shot at Grand Prix Qatar victory despite qualifying crash, says Michael Laverty
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Published 12/04/2025 at 15:28 GMT+1
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Ducati Lenovo rider Francesco Bagnaia suffered a huge setback at Grand Prix Qatar when he crashed out in Q2, leaving him in 11th spot on the grid ahead of the Sprint race on Saturday afternoon, and the full-length race on Sunday. However, Michael Laverty told TNT Sports that the experienced Italian may still pull off a comeback and should not be ruled out.
'From the fourth row, it's tough' - Laverty thinks Bagnaia 'could still turn it around' at Qatar
Video credit: TNT Sports
Michael Laverty believes that Francesco Bagnaia "could still turn it around" at Grand Prix Qatar despite crashing out in qualifying.
The former world champion crashed in Q2 on Saturday afternoon ahead of the Sprint race later in the day, shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
That ended his involvement in qualifying, and he finished the session knowing he would start in 11th, on the fourth row.
His title rival Marc Marquez claimed his fourth successive top spot, giving him a chance of extending his lead over Bagnaia, and others, and potentially overtake his brother Alex, one point ahead of him in the standings, and second in qualifying.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Laverty explained what might have gone wrong for Bagnaia, suggesting that conditions were working against him, while he was pushing hard.
He said: "Pecco was fast in the cool conditions in the afternoon. He could still have something, but from the fourth row, it’s tough.
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"I do think it’s maybe the wind, combined with the temperature, the dirtier track conditions caught him out.
"You can see a little snap from the rear. Normally, that’s where he’s usually really good in the braking zone, when it goes back into line.
"But it knotted, it went once, then it went again, and just that load in locked the front tyre, and he was down."
Bagnaia’s experience and previous success meant that Laverty was not prepared to rule out another special comeback from the Ducati Lenovo rider.
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'That is a first blink' - Bagnaia crashes out at Grand Prix Qatar Q2
Video credit: TNT Sports
Laverty concluded that while Bagnaia's aggressive efforts had caused him a problem in qualifying, there was an outside chance that he could spring a surprise.
He said: "He was prepared to put it on the line, take a risk, but it wasn’t to be today.
"He could still turn it around from there."
How to watch Grand Prix Qatar on TNT Sports and discovery+
TNT Sports is the home of MotoGP after agreeing a new multi-year deal to broadcast the championship in the UK and Ireland.
The race weekend for the Grand Prix Qatar runs from Friday, April 11 until Sunday, April 13.
The Sprint starts at 6pm on Saturday. The Grand Prix on Sunday sees lights out at 6pm UK time, with fans able to catch up on all the above on discovery+.
The Sprint starts at 6pm on Saturday. The Grand Prix on Sunday sees lights out at 6pm UK time, with fans able to catch up on all the above on discovery+.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
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