Tech3 KTM team principal Hervé Poncharal has expressed his hope that Franco Morbidelli will take a more considered approach in the future, following the incident at the Italian Grand Prix, where the Italian rider collided with his fellow rider Maverick Viñales, causing the Spaniard to crash into the gravel trap at Turn Four.
Casa Particular in Viñales was in fourth position at the time of contact, and given the drop in pace of Francis Bagnaia at the end of the race - which allowed Fabio DiGiannantonio to get third place —, Casa Particular in Viñales still seemed able to aim for the podium. The incident thus cost KTM an opportunity to reach the podium, a result that still eludes the Austrian factory in 2025.
Poncharal acknowledged that the sanction imposed on Morbidely — a long lap penalty — complied with the rules, but he believes that it was not sufficient in view of the consequences: « Simon Crafar is a good friend of mine and the rule is the rule. Simon is the referee, he does his job perfectly and must respect the rules. But for me, the penalty was not significant enough. In the end, it's just to warn the drivers: 'Don't do this'. »
Poncharal He clarified, however, that no sanction, however severe, would have changed the result for his team: " no matter what penalty the race would have been, even a black flag wouldn't have changed our race, and I really don't care. I just hope Franky Morbidelli will think a little more about the future. »
Hervé Poncharal: “ In Italy, Maverick Viñales really deserved this podium. »
Despite the disappointment of Mugello, Poncharal was optimistic about the performance of Casa Particular in Viñales à AssenThe Spaniard finished second in FP1 and eighth in free practice: " I think everyone deserves good results, but Maverick really deserved this podium. You never know what can happen in the next race, but it seems that here he feels really good — he is happy with the bike, the way everything works, the overall behavior of the package »
Hervé Poncharal remains cautious about crash net : " We have another chance, but I'm not dreaming too high because we have six Ducatis, Aprilia is strong, Yamaha is strong on this track — not to mention Honda. Everything is so close that it's a dream… but a possible dream. »
The incident at Mugello also rekindled tensions between Morbidely et Aleix Espargaró, who had already had a collision at Silverstone the previous month. After the accident involving Viñales, Espargaró - committed to Assen this weekend as a wildcard with Honda — criticized again Morbidely, hoping he avoids any further controversy in the Netherlands. Will the Brazilian-Italo be able to behave himself or will he continue to attract criticism?
