Paolo Simoncelli continues to believe that the regulations are not applied correctly towards drivers who extend into the green zone and that this creates injustices in the race rankings.
If the SIC 58 team can be satisfied with its year 2019, despite numerous blank results, Paolo Simoncelli expressed his dissatisfaction in his team's end-of-season press release concerning the too great tolerance, in his eyes, of the commissioners. Indeed, it has not been uncommon this season to see different sanctions, or even a lack of sanctions, against drivers who went out into the green zone of the track.
We particularly remember the controversial Moto2 victory of Augusto Fernández in the middle of the season, who had not received any sanction unlike Fabio Di Giannantonio and which had raised questions. And once again, this situation occurred at the end of the Moto3 race in Valencia, and which gave certain riders an advantage over Simoncelli.
“I’m really upset, I keep repeating that these young people need strict rules and punishments”, he commented. “This is the umpteenth time that this kind of thing has happened to Tatsuki [Suzuki, which finished at the foot of the podium, editor's note.] because of regulations that are too tolerant. A driver who misses a turn while going into the green zone would have found himself in the gravel several years ago and would have needed double the time to get back on track (assuming he did not fall) and now he can come back on the track without anything happening and be able to win. »
"If the gravel has been replaced by asphalt for safety reasons (although it has caused fatal accidents), this green zone should not be used, drivers who use it must be warned in order to take personal advantage of it. I have a question in mind and I would like to have an answer from former driver Freddie Spencer and the FIM commission: What kind of advantage can a driver have who corners correctly? For me, these commissioners create unnecessary paranoia and should immediately punish those who go into the green zone the first time, period. »
The reigning vice-world champion team therefore hopes to see a change in 2020, and will in the meantime work to come back stronger than ever: “We end this 2019 season with a touch of bitterness which will be an additional motivation for the season to come, and with the certainty that the new regulations will do justice to the drivers who take their turns correctly and that this will be a year full of satisfaction. »
