The Ducati rider was one of several caught out by the wet conditions on Friday at the Algarve International Circuit, with Bagnaia falling from his bike at Turn 3 early on in FP2.
The Italian was seen scooping up some of the gravel into his hands and delivered it to Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi upon his return to pitlane.
Bagnaia says he did this because the gravel “destroyed” his bike way more than it should have and feels the safety of the large stones lining the track needs to be discussed.
“Yes, because for the crash we had for sure the bike was too much destroyed because the gravel is too big, it’s not smooth like the standard gravel like we have to have in the tracks,” he said.
“So, it’s something we have to speak about in the safety commission.
“For our safety, for the safety of our bikes too, it’s normal to have a smoother gravel for sure.”
This is not the first time the safety of Portimao’s gravel traps have been called into question, while Bagnaia notes it is a similar situation at Mandalika in Indonesian and Spanish GP host Jerez.
“In Mandalika it [the gravel] too was really big,” he added.
“There are like three tracks in the championship where the gravel is more or less like this: it’s Jerez, Mandalika and here.
“We were complaining already last year when [Jorge] Martin crashed.
“If you look, every crash in this track when you arrive to the gravel you start to roll a lot. And this means you can get hurt from the gravel, so it’s not so safe. Also for the others.”
At points during Friday’s running, the circuit accumulated a lot of standing water, which prompted some riders to express concerns.
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro felt the conditions in the final 10 minutes of FP2 should have stopped the session.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The last 10 minutes from my point of view was 100% red flag,” he said.
“There was a lot of standing water, a lot of…
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