Ducati MotoGP rider Francesco Bagnaia has apologised after failing a breath test following a car crash while on holiday in Spain.
The Italian, who won the last race before the ongoing summer break, was out in Ibiza when he attempted to drive from the venue at which he had been partying.
Local news outlet Periodico de Ibiza y Formentera (‘Ibiza and Formentera Newspaper’) reports that Bagnaia blew a reading of 0.87mg/L on a breathalyser, more than three times the reported legal limit of 0.25mg/L.
A photograph published by the same outlet shows police attending to a vehicle which had left the road in apparently accidental fashion in the early hours of Tuesday morning (local time).
Bagnaia confirmed that he had indeed run into a ditch when he attempted to negotiate a roundabout, in what he says was a single-vehicle incident.
The 25-year-old claimed he is “practically a non-drinker” who engaged in an act of “serious carelessness” and has “learned my lesson.”
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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
“Last night I was in Ibiza with my friends for a party during this break from MotoGP,” he wrote in a statement published on his Twitter page.
“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.
“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 nondrinker, and it was a serious carelessness which should not have happened.
“I apologize to everyone, and I can assure you that I have learned my lesson.
“Never get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. Thank you.”
— Pecco Bagnaia (@PeccoBagnaia) July 5, 2022
