Moto3 Austin Valentino Rossi: “Restarting the race for 5 laps is like Russian roulette! »

Asked about the two-race suspension imposed on Deniz Öncü after'appalling accident occurred during the resumption of the Moto3 race in Austin, Valentino Rossi did not mince his words, whether against the young drivers in general but also against the Race Direction, who scheduled a second start for 5 laps. A wrong decision according to the Italian champion, visibly very moved when remembering the scene.

Valentino Rossi: “I don't want to talk about Öncü or any other driver or any other name, but in my opinion the penalty is fair. They had to do something! It's the minimum ! The two-race penalty is a minimum because he seriously had to do something since In my opinion, the situation is completely out of control.. In my opinion, They made a mistake today because they made a second Moto3 start for five laps. It's too dangerous for five rounds :CIt's like Russian roulette !
Öncü moved in a straight line even though he knew there was another driver nearby and caused an accident that could potentially be fatal. I was really worried about everyone, also because I had Migno over there. Acosta suffered a terrifying accident and we are very lucky nothing happened. From the start, they really should have done something serious for these young boys. He had to stay at home, he shouldn't run: I think it's justified because the situation has to change before something happens. Motorcycle racing is too dangerous to behave like this on the track : You must respect your own safety and the safety of your opponents! This is the most important thing, more than a position, because there, you can play with the lives of young boys, and it's a potential disaster »

Undoubtedly the fruit of his experience but also of his involvement with young pilots, Valentino Rossi is always very severe against the perpetrators of collective accidents, even if their actions are obviously involuntary. We remember in particular the very harsh words he had against John Zarco upon his arrival in MotoGP, then during the accident which occurred in Austria with Franco Morbidelli. He is therefore far from having waited for this miraculous accident in Moto3 to complain about the growth in the level of aggressiveness of the young riders who are arriving...