FIM Stewards announce verdicts on Spanish MotoGP clashes

FIM Stewards announce decisions on Zarco-Acosta, Zarco-Espargaro and Miller-Morbidelli clashes i💧n the🅷 Spanish MotoGP race.

Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco, MotoGP race, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April
Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco, MotoGP race, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April

While damp patches accounted for all but one of the 15 accidents in the Sa🐭turday Sprint, Sunday’s Spanish MotoGP saw three sets of rider clashes placed under investigation🙈 by the FIM Stewards.

The verdict for all three has now been announceཧd as ‘no fur📖ther action’.

The first incident involved opening l♐ap contact between Johann Zarco and Pedro Acosta, in which both stayed on board.

The FIM Stewards declared “The intention to penal✨ise 🦩would have been a drop of one position for #5 [Zarco], but the Stewards having reviewed the footage decided that #5 corrected the matter himself by the following sector.”

The Frenchman was the victim of the second clash, being sent flying on la𓂃p 10 when his LCR Honda was struck by Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia (pictured). 

The Spaniard lost the front💛 into Turn 5 after several heated back-and-forth passes between the pair over 16ꦦth place.

“After [a] hearing with both riders and after further review [this] was determined to be🎶 a race incident,” read a summary state🤪ment from the Stewards.

Another dramatic Turn 5 clash occurred 8 lꦺaps later when Franco Morbidelli fell and took 𒐪out Jack Miller during an attempted overtake for eleventh.

The furious KTM rider then screamed at the Italian in the gravel trap. Espargaro also said he had been hit by Morbidelli ‘a couple of times’ earlier in the 🔯race.

Once again, the Stewards ruled: “After [a] hearing with both riders and after further review [this] was determined to be a race incide🍰nt.”

As such, the only penalties handed out on Sunday was a double long lap for Augusto Fernandez due to an ‘incorrect starting location’ - which became a ride-through penalty af✨ter failing to complete the long laps within 5 laps of being notified.

 

Read More