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-ever sprint race💎 of the new format.
Bastianౠini broke a shoulder blade and will miss at least Sunday’s full-length race and the 🤪Argentina MotoGP next 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.
“Then my bike hit him. It’s a pitꦓy a💦lso for him. These things can happen.
“It’s always a problem♚. I am sorry for this.
“It was a racing incident. I hope he can be well. I w😼ent to his box but he wasn’t yet back from the medical centre🌃.”
Joan Mir was hit with a long lap penalty for his contact with Fabio Quartararo, but Marini escaped any punishment for cl🔯ashing with Bastianini.
He had said about🍎 Race Direction: “If they want to hear from me, no problem. I am here.
“Tꦑhere was no contact between riders. One rider crashed, the bike hit another ꦕrider. This is impossible 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 different sessions. They will each miss next weekend in Argentina, if not longer.
Marini spoke about tꦰhe hazards of the Saturday sprint rac🧸e: “From the inside, it’s a jungle. Everybody knows they can be on the podium, but everybody knows there are only a few laps to make it.
“It’s harder than the long race, for me. It ౠis a more difficult race. If you are 100% with your bike and confiden꧃ce on a Sunday, it is easier.
“There is no panic, but you must rush. Ev🌊erybo﷽dy tries to overtake. It starts to become dangerous.
“But this is the format. This year, we 🔯have to do this.
“Everybody is smart en🔥ough to do a good sprint race in th🔥e future.
“It’s a bigge🌌r risk for everybody because 12 riders are fighting for the pod꧒ium instead of six.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to footbal෴l, to F✨1.
