Luca Marini on Enea Bastianini clash at Portuguese MotoGP: “A racing incident; sprint races become dangerous”
Bastianini’s factory Ducati debut got off to a nightmare start but he was knocked off his bike by Marini, a fellow Ducati rider, in the first-ev🎃er sprint race of the new format.
Bastianini broke a shoulder blade and will miss at least Sunday’s full-length race and the Argen𓆏tina MotoGP n🦩ext weekend.
VR46 rider Marini was asked if he emerged unscathed and replied: “For 🧸me, nothing. It’s a pity. I just made my line. I was leaning one degree more to avoid any contact with Enea. And I lost the front.
“Then൲ my bike hit him. It’s a pity also for hi🌠m. These things can happen.
“It’s always a problem. I am sorry for tꦉhis.
“It wꦦas a racing incident. I hope he can be well. I went🙈 to his box but he wasn’t yet back from the medical centre.”
Joan Mir was hit with a long lap penalty for his conta🥀ct with Fabio Quartararo, but Marini escaped any punishmeꦛnt for clashing with Bastianini.
He had said about Race Direction: “If they want to hear from me, no p♑roblem. I am here.
“There was no contact between riders. One rider crashed, the bike hit another☂ rider. This is impossi𝐆ble to avoid.”
The controversial inclusion of sprint races into a new format for the 2023 MotoGP season has already seen Pol Espargaro and Bastianini suffer injuries in differe๊nt sessions. They will each miss next weekend in Argentina, if not longer.
Marini spoke about the hazards of the Saturday sprint race: “From the inside, it’s a jungle. Everybody knows they can be on the podium, but everybody knows there are only a few laps t✅o make it.
“It’s harder than the long race, for me. It is a more diffi🐬cult race. If you are 100% with your bike and confidence on a Sunday, it is easier.
“There is no panic, but you must rush. E🔯verybody tries to overtake. It starts to become danꦐgerous.
“Bu♎t this is the format. This yearꦑ, we have to do this.
“Everybody is smart enough to do aꦯ good sprint race in the f🍸uture.
“It’s a bigger risk for everybody because 12 riders are fighting for the podium ওinstead of six.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything f🍸rom American sports, to football, to F1.
