Raging Johann Zarco at Catalunya MotoGP: Enea Bastianini tried to be “a hero” - crash could’ve been “tragic”
A pile-up on the first lap was triggered by the fac🥂tory Ducati rider who was starting from 14th due to a three-place grid penalty.
His attemp🤪t to make up several positions resulted in a massive pile-up including Zarco, Alex Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giananantonio.
Separately🐠, but moments later, was the far more serꦡious-looking collision between the floored Francesco Bagnaia and the oncoming Brad Binder.
Pramac Racing rider Zarco reflected on the first-lap chaos: “I tried to control the 🔴first corner, to not hit Binder or Oliveira.
“I got hit by Bastianini. [Saturday], also. I didn’t go into the ಌcorner because Bastianini was coming.
“He was lucky that I didn’t go into the corner yesterday. Today,ꦫ I was, when he arriv🐟ed.
“He tried to gain more than six positions at the start. T༺his can happen, sometimes.
“You are a hero w𒅌hen it happens. But, most of the time, it can be tragic.
“Fortuna💦tely, there was a red flag. Not beca𝄹use of our multi-crash, but because of the crash of Pecco.”
Za💦rco was asked why the Barcelona circu♕it can become a hotspot for big accidents.
“Because there is alwaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚys someone who switches too much,” he claimed.
“La🅺st year it w🦩as Takaaki Nakagami, this year it was Bastianini.
“Maybe it can happen because the first turn is tight. But noไt so tight…”
Zarco insisted that any set-up changes or tweaks 💞made for the track are no excuse for riders 🌌to pass recklessly.
“This information, the riders🐎 must know it and take it into coꦺnsideration,” he said.
“But, some of them don’t take it into cons🌺ideratio🎉n.
“I know many things can happen at th💧e first turn, at the start, ꦐthe moment where you can gain the most positions.
“W🍬e need to accept that it’s not a great weekend. To gain three positions or six positions, okay, this can change your race.
“But it can become a disaster.
“It’s 🌃more the riders that need to control a bit.
“I’m like the old man ౠspeaking, that we should control ourselves!
“People say you miss your start or lose position. But I accept it, and try𓂃 to cꦬome back.”
Bastianini was hit with a double long lap penal𓆏ty for the manꦆoeuvre which enraged Zarco.
But he couldn’t restart due to injuries su𝕴stained in the pile-up so must serve the penalty ♊whenever he returns.
Zarco reacted to Bastianini’s punishment: “It’s hard to say which penalty we sh💫ould get.
﷽“A long lap penalty here desꦛtroys your race because, in Barcelona, it’s like going to see the cathedral then coming back!”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to 🌺f🌟ootball, to F1.
