Francesco Bagnaia has used MotoGP's summer break to go under the knife, undergoing surgery on his right forearm on Wednesday as the two-time world champion tries to rescue a season that has drifted away from him.
The Ducati Lenovo rider was treated for chronic compartment syndrome, a build-up of pressure in the forearm muscles that is common among motorcycle racers and can rob a rider of feel and strength under braking. He had an endoscopic fasciotomy performed at the Orthopaedic Clinic of the University Hospital in Modena, led by Professor Luigi Tarallo under the direction of Professor Fabio Catani.
"This afternoon, Francesco Bagnaia underwent successful endoscopic fasciotomy surgery on his right forearm," Ducati said in a statement, confirming the procedure "was completed successfully and without complications."
The timing is deliberate. With three weeks until the championship resumes, Bagnaia is targeting the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 7-9, though his participation depends on how the arm responds in rehabilitation.
He returns to a title picture that looks nothing like the one he dominated in 2022 and 2023. Rival manufacturers have closed on Ducati, and the Italian marque's grip on the series has loosened, a shift underlined this week by MotoGP's concession system, which dropped Ducati from the top-ranked Group A down to Group B for the first time in two and a half years, while Aprilia climbed and Honda slipped further back.
Bagnaia has felt that swing from the cockpit. "This year, for the first time, Ducati is not dominant like in the past, and more bikes are competitive, like in 2020," he said before the break. He pushed back, though, on any suggestion the championship has lacked intensity. "For me, it's wrong to say that nobody wants to win this championship, because everybody is pushing a lot."
He also rejected the idea that his own campaign is beyond repair, pointing to a points recovery even through a rough patch. "In a race you can gain 20 points, in a race you can gain one point, and in a race you can lose 20," he said. "But even if in the last two grands prix I lost points, I gained 35 points compared to Mugello. So the balance is positive."
His frustration has centred on consistency, both his own and his bike's. "With Ducati, it's like one race one rider is strong, and the next race another rider is strong," he said. "It's not very constant with results as Aprilia." He expects the second half of the year to be steadier: "We are working on it and I think this second part will be more flat."
Whether the operation proves a reset or just another interruption in a stop-start year, the forearm problem at least offers an explanation for some of the struggle. For now the target is simple: be fit for Silverstone, and give a fading title defence one more push.
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