Some will say that “it’s the race”, while others, including the Race Direction, do not agree and judge "irresponsible" the maneuver of the French pilot which caused the fall of Miguel Oliveira.
This happened on the 9th lap of the Silverstone British Grand Prix when the two KTM riders, and even the three with Espargaro Pol, had started side by side from the 5th line.
Diving inside the bend, Johann zarco left no chance Miguel Oliveira who hadn't even seen him.
The Portuguese driver got up with a large hematoma in his hip and thigh but did not suffer any fractures. The French driver was penalized by 3 places on the starting grid for the next Grand Prix, that is to say in Misano.
FIM MotoGP Stewards 📋
Rider #5 @JohannZarco1 has been given a penalty of 3 grid positions at his next race after being found to be riding in an irresponsible manner causing a crash at the #BritishGP#MotoGP
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) August 25
Miguel Oliveira : “Zarco is going through negative periods, and he was too optimistic when he wanted to overtake me and hit me. Some things are not balanced with him. It's a shame because my pace on the bike was very good. We were in a small group. I saw that Petrucci was catching up with Pol. I knew I had better pace because I was managing my tires a bit. I didn't expect for a second that someone would pass me there. And yes, it ruined our strong weekend here. Today it would have been possible to fight for a place in the top ten. Too bad about these points. But we can't change anything. I’m looking forward to the next race.”
Hervé Poncharal : “It’s a shame to end a weekend like that. I am very sad and also disappointed because this is not what should happen between experienced drivers, especially from the same brand. It was still the first laps, we had everything under control as we had planned and Miguel was doing his own race, trying to preserve the tires. The goal was a place in the top 10 and I think it was definitely possible. The race is the result of long, long hours of work, everyone works hard and it's a shame to see it end like this. Johann came to apologize to Miguel and me, but somehow it's something I can't stomach. It's a bitter feeling. I'm not happy at all, but that's part of the race, unfortunately. So let's take the positives from the whole weekend; we are competitive. Let's move on to the next round! ".
Photo credit : MotoGP.com
