Bagnaia was wiped out in a collision with Maverick Vinales while the pair battled for third on the fifth lap of last Sunday’s grand prix at Le Mans.
The incident marked Bagnaia’s third Sunday DNF in the first five rounds, having crashed out of second in Argentina and the lead in America.
But the Ducati rider still holds a one-point championship lead, thanks in large part to his strong sprint showings.
Of the 96 points Bagnaia has scored, 44 of those have come from sprint results, with the Italian winning two, scoring podiums in two and sixth in the other.
“For sure the sprint race helps, because without the sprint race I would be so far behind,” Bagnaia conceded after the French GP.
“I have 50 points [from grands prix]. I have 44 points just from the sprints, so this for sure helps.
“But this year it’s quite clear that we are always in the front, we are always there leading, and the other riders are circulating in terms of performance, which explains this gap [I still have].
Source: Autosport