About Luigi Ciamburro / Motoracing
At Sepang, Valentino Rossi pushed away a track marshal who was trying to take a selfie at the end of the race. The regulations are in agreement with the Tavullia pilot.
In the minutes following the Malaysian Grand Prix, a video published on the official Motogp.com Facebook page caused a sensation. In this one, Valentino Rossi pushes back a commissioner who wants to take a selfie. A scene that has gone viral and which, at first glance, may make the Yamaha rider appear in a bad light, among other things, because he is very angry because of his fall four laps from the finish. Many have showered the doctor with insults and called for him to be disqualified, but not everyone knows that the regulations are clear.
It is absolutely forbidden for marshals to take selfies with the drivers, nor to hug them, nor touch them, at the end of a race. These rules are recalled in their briefing before each race and, if they are not respected, their role will be threatened in subsequent races. The same ban is imposed on photographers and journalists in the press room and, over the weekend in Sepang, an alleged journalist was fired for trying to take a selfie with a driver in the press room.
There remains bitterness for this perhaps disproportionate gesture by Valentino Rossi towards a racing enthusiast, but we must also take into account the state of mind of the driver, leading up to a few laps of the checkered flag, which fell following an error that took him days or weeks to forget, forcing him to finish outside the points zone, in 18th position. If from a human point of view it is difficult to judge, there is unanimity on behavioral regulation which leaves no room for doubts or feelings.
