Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia crashed at Mugello this afternoon having lead the opening stages of his home GP but the Italian is adamant that the race should not have gone ahead.

The 24-year-old from Turin explained that he had requested not to race Sunday’s 23-lap event once the news was broken of the passing of Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier, and believes it would have been the right call.

“If yesterday was already difficult, today was impossible” Bagnaia explained from Mugello.

“I saw that the news of Jason during the final part of Moto3, before the start of Moto2, and from that moment I start thinking just on the race but it was impossible. I was close to being concentrated but then there was one minute of silence, and was impossible to concentrate.

“I started well, I was in front, but in any case to finish first or last today, there is no change [to the situation]. Is maybe one of the worst days in my life. I didn’t enjoy anything today.

“For me, I have asked to don’t race today because was not correct, for me. I also think that if it happened to a MotoGP rider today, we wouldn’t race. I’m not happy about today, I’m not happy about the decision of someone to let us race after news like this. It doesn’t matter if I crash. I’m just thinking of him, of his family. We lost a 19-year-old rider. This is very, very difficult to accept, and very difficult to accept the decision to someone to let us race today.

“After the news, I said to my team, to Davide [Tardozzi], that I was preferring to don’t race today but this is our work, and we had to do it but in conditions like this, it’s really, really difficult.

“Already in 2016 when we lose Luis [Salom], I was in the same situation, because before the race we did one minute of silence and I was in the same situation. Today was very difficult during the minute of silence to don’t let the tears come down. So it was very difficult today.

“I would like to not speak about the race. Today, the race is not important for me.”