Ducati boss: “Bagnaia said sorry” - this is what happened…

Bagnaia slid out in the late stages at Motegi after almost making contact with Fabio Quartararo, whose lead in the 2022 standings he tried and failed to reduce.

Bagnaia entered Japan 10 points behind the reigning champion but will leave at an 18-point deficit.

• Japanese MotoGP race results

“He has already said that he’s sorry for the mistake he made,” Tardozzi said to BT Sport.

“He was not able to accelerate out of the corner like the other Ducatis. We need to know why.

“His front tyre overheated so he could not brake hard.

“When it cooled down he was able to recover and gain something on the brakes.”

Tardozzi admitted that the aim for Bagnaia, who started in 12th, was solely to finish ahead of Quartararo, who started ninth: “Yes. The goal was obvious.

“You start the year trying to win as many races as possible. But at a certain point you have to think about the championship.

“You look to [the other] contender.

“Since Aragon, we look to Fabio every week.

“Losing two points is better than losing eight points.”

Quartararo finished eighth at the Japanese MotoGP while Bagnaia’s teammate Jack Miller took victory.