From the Jerez paddock, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola doesn't mince his words. Beyond the news of Jorge Martin, repatriated to Madrid on April 26 via a medical flight for tests at Ruber Internacional (DAZN), Rivola launches a scathing critique of circuits shared with Formula 1, deemed dangerous for MotoGP. Martin's near-tragedy accident in Qatar (pneumothorax, 11 fractured ribs, struck at 200 km/h) serves as a burning example.
This weekend, the MotoGP paddock isn't just buzzing with the rhythm of the engines. It's also rumbling with the weight of the of a controversy relaunched by Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, at the start of this Spanish Grand Prix. If the health condition of George Martin, seriously injured in Qatar, is at the heart of the concerns, it is above all the security of the circuits shared with the Formula 1 which triggered the cold anger of Rivola.
The Italian leader did not mince his words. It is a Misano-style rumble strip, designed for F1, in the shape of a saw. If there had been grass instead, the fall would have been almost harmless. " he lamented, in direct reference to the dramatic fall of Martin at turn 12 at Losail, which cost him a pneumothorax, eleven fractured ribs and a limp body hit at full speed by another motorcycle.
Massimo Rivola: “ When you share a track with F1, F1 rules. »
The message is clear: circuits designed for the Formula 1 are not suitable for motorcycles, and this imposed cohabitation becomes, according to Rivola, a danger factor. He mentions his past discussions with Charlie Whiting, former F1 race director, about asphalt escape zones, which he considered unsuitable for two-wheelers.
« They don't penalize, they don't deter. But when you share a track with F1, F1 rules. "Says Rivola with bitterness. "It's not just a technical problem, It's a question of security philosophy »
He adds that in this environment, the pilots MotoGP must exercise extreme vigilance, a remark that sounds more like a resigned observation than a solution.
Rivola, very involved in the case of its star driver, also mentioned the medical transfer of George Martin This Saturday, he will be flown to Madrid on board a medical plane. His goal: a series of tests at the Ruber Internacional Quirón Hospital to plan for as complete a recovery as possible. He cannot fly on a commercial aircraft, his lungs wouldn't hold the pressure ", Dr. Charte explained to DAZN. There is no return date. Just love and patience. »
Massimo rivola took the opportunity to relaunch a concrete proposal: to allow injured drivers to get back on track via private tests before an official return during the Grand Prix weekend. It makes no sense to return directly to MotoGP after a multiple fracture " he insists. " We need a more humane protocol »
Meanwhile, the image of Martin, confined to a hospital bed in Doha after being violently thrown onto a kerb designed for 800 kg cars, remains on everyone's mind. And with it, a burning question: how much longer can MotoGP tolerate safety standards dictated by another discipline?
