Francesco Bagnaia: "Catalunya complicated - Misano crucial, made the title difference”

Although the reigning champion miraculously escaped fractures when his legs were run over after highsiding in front of the field, he was struggling to walk when he arrived at his home Misano round just five days later.

But the Italian gritted his teeth and was able to claim a pair of podiums, which would prove crucial in his title fight against Jorge Martin, who won both Misano races and briefly topped the standings in Indonesia.

“[Catalunya] was a complicated moment,” Speedweek.com quotes Bagnaia as saying.

“I woke up the next day and was really destroyed, I couldn't do anything, but we started rehab straight away and did the maximum to be ready for Misano, just five days later.

“We managed to get onto the front row of the grid and the podium in both races – and therefore only lost 14 points [to Martin] instead of 37, which made the difference in the end.

"I think this race was crucial.”

Bagnaia went on to win his second successive title by a margin of 39 points, although he was only 14 ahead of Martin going into the Sunday finale at Valencia, where the Pramac rider fell after clashing with Marc Marquez.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia admitted the Catalunya accident took longer to get over mentally, meaning he was more cautious about immediately pushing to the absolute limits.

“On a mental level, however, I was no longer able to perform at 100 per cent [after Catalunya], especially in the early stages of the races or in qualifying.

"It was a bit complicated to get back to the level that we only found again in the last few races.”