Francesco Bagnaia’s race at the Malaysian Grand Prix ended in disappointment after a late rear tyre puncture forced him to retire, as Michelin later confirmed.

The Ducati rider had started from pole position at the Sepang International Circuit and was fighting strongly for a podium finish. After losing the lead to Alex Márquez early in the race and later being passed by Pedro Acosta, Bagnaia was still running solidly in third place.

However, in the second half of the race, Bagnaia slowed down unexpectedly. Television cameras showed him glancing back at the rear of his bike, clearly sensing a problem. He managed to bring the bike safely back to the pitlane but was unable to continue.

After the race, MotoGP’s official tyre supplier Michelin explained that the issue was caused by a puncture in the rear tyre.

“We found a hole caused by a piece of carbon or some debris on the track,” said Piero Taramasso, Michelin’s MotoGP manager, speaking to Sky Sport Italia. “Pecco [Bagnaia] felt that the bike was behaving strangely. It’s a real shame because he was riding very well and still had more to give.”

Taramasso added that Bagnaia had noticed something wasn’t quite right a few laps before retiring, as the tyre pressure began to drop quickly.

“Within two laps, the pressure had fallen a lot. When he came back in, we checked and saw it was between 0.6 and 0.7 bar, and then we found the hole,” he explained to Sky Sport Italia

Michelin believes the puncture was caused by a small piece of debris, possibly carbon fibre, lying on the track surface. The company will continue to analyse data from the race to confirm the exact cause.

Despite the setback, Bagnaia’s pace earlier in the race showed that he remains competitive and confident as the season comes to an end.