Francesco Bagnaia apologised to his team after a last-lap crash at the Grand Prix of Japan struck a blow to his MotoGP title hopes.
The Italian was going all out to try and pass championship leader Fabio Quartararo in Motegi on Sunday, but found himself in the gravel following a costly mistake.
Quartararo finished eighth, extending his lead over Bagnaia to 18 points with four rounds to go following a race that was won by Jack Miller.
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi revealed Bagnaia was quick to hold his hands up for his error.
“He has already said that he’s sorry for the mistake he made,” Tardozzi told 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.”
Source: Livescore