Ducati Lenovo Team MotoGP rider, Francesco Bagnaia, has come out and publicly apologised to his fans after a crash his car while allegedly intoxicated in Ibiza. Pecco left the club where he had been drinking with friends and attempted to drive home before putting his car into a ditch.
After the single car accident, a local newspaper (Periodico de Ibiza y Formentera) posted on their twitter claiming that Bagnaia blew a whopping three times over the limit of 0.25mg/L at 0.87mg/L with a photo of the car in a fence.
Bagnaia, who claims he is “practically a non drinker” took to Instagram to make the following statement: “Last night I was in Ibiza with my friends for a party during this break from MotoGP. We celebrated and toasted together for my victory at the Dutch GP. As I was leaving the disco at 3am, I was facing a roundabout when I ended up with the front wheels in a ditch without involving other vehicles or people.”
Accidente en Ibiza del piloto Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia, que da 0,87 en la prueba de alcoholemia.https://t.co/lSpIqDVDTP
— Periódico de Ibiza (@periodicibiza) July 5, 2022
“However, the alcohol test carried out by the police found that the blood alcohol level was higher than what is allowed by Spanish law. I am sorry for what happened; I am practically a non drinker, and it was serious carelessness that should not have happened. I apologize to everyone, and I can assure you that I have learned my lesson. Never get behind the wheel drinking alcohol. Thank you.”
Owning up to his mistake straight away on social media saw a mixture of replies, with some scolding the rider for driving and others offering support, applauding the rider for not beating around the bush.
MotoGP returns in August for the British GP. We will see how this incident has affected the championship contender in terms of headspace, will he be back on the podium? When he’s there, will he drink the champagne? We will have to wait and see.
One thing is for sure, don’t drink and drive. Especially when you’re a MotoGP star and are not short of a buck or two, is it really worth saving $30 on an Uber? I bet Peccco doesn’t think so, considering he’ll be catching the bus for the next few months…
