Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia has paid tribute to friend and fellow racer Luca Salvadori.

Salvadori, 32, who spent part of last season in the MotoGP paddock while competing in MotoE, lost his life in a road racing accident in Germany last weekend.

“We lost a very great person, a friend,” Bagnaia said on the eve of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna MotoGP round.

“We used to speak a lot and had some dinners together. He was a very kind guy. I think everybody loved him because he was very fun and had a true passion for motorsport.

“This passion was pushing him to try to do every possibility in our sport. And he was always taking us with him on his [social media] videos, where his passion and the way he was speaking with us was fantastic. 

“He was a very positive guy, and when you meet a positive guy like him, it’s a person you need to have by your side, because they give you a lot of happy vibes.

“We will miss him a lot and I will try to keep in my mind everything he was doing for us, for me. Because the energy he was sharing with everybody was fantastic. 

“It will not be easy to make a tribute for him because it’s a huge loss and [nothing] can compensate [for that].

“But I will try and I want to keep him with me always.”