Lin Jarvis, the Yamaha staff and the victim himself, who is none other than the reigning World Champion and leader of the current provisional general classification Fabio Quartararo, remain up in arms against this sanction inflicted following the events of Dutch Grand Prix. It will be recalled that following a failed overtaking maneuver on Aleix Espargaró, Fabio Quartararo fell under the wheels of the Aprilia. However, the RS-GP was able to return to the track and its driver, after a real festival, finished his race at Assen fourth. The Frenchman fell a second time, and quite heavily. But this painful episode will remain a reality for him until he has completed a long lap during the next British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
A punishment that does not pass muster in the ranks of Yamaha. Mayo Meregalli called him " harsh and inconsistent » while his boss Lin Jarvis, in one long press release, notably recalled “ that there have been at least three more serious racing incidents in the MotoGP class (resulting in riders dropping out of the race and/or causing injuries) that have gone unpunished ».
The three facts mentioned by Lin Jarvis, here they are:
The 1st and most recent took place at Catalan Grand Prix on June 5, 2022. Taka Nakagami was 12th on the grid and entered the first corner in fourth position before losing the front of his Honda LCR, taking alex rins and the title contender Pecco Bagnaia with him. Conclusion : bagnaia had to retire and lost the chance to win the Grand Prix, Kidneys injured his hand and also had to miss the race at Sachsenring. But this incident was classified as a “racing incident”.
The second took place at 2022 Portuguese Grand Prix : Jack Miller wants to put the brakes on Joan mir before the first corner of the race, he fought for 3rd place. The Ducati official falls and sweeps the 2020 world champion with him. No punishment for Miller.
The third and final took place during the first game of the season at Qatar Grand Prix 2022. The Ducati official and the vice-world champion Pecco Bagnaia missed the start, and, ten laps before the end, he wants to pass the Pramac Ducati rider George Martin. A maneuver that fails: the front wheel slips, Pecco also takes Martin off the track. The Spaniard got away with a big scare, but, above all, no punishment...
What about fabio quartararo, we will recall thatAleix Espargaró ended up taking 13 points from him, a harvest that he probably would not have achieved without the failed passing maneuver. In fact, the damage to Aleix Espargaró and Aprilia were significantly lower than those of fabio quartararo and Yamaha at the time of observation. A situation which has reopened the debate that Carmelo Ezpeleta wanted to close since the Catalan Grand Prix on the legitimacy and discernment of the panel of FIM commissioners led by Freddie spencer. Questions about the existence of this important body of “FIM MotoGP Stewards” and about higher quality standards in MotoGP remain relevant today.
