The only black cloud in the blue sky of the red Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista has so far at Assen been the brand's satellite rider nestled within the Motocorsa team Axel Bassani. The Spaniard regrets having been his collateral victim on Saturday morning, during the Superpole, in the attribution of a punishment inflicted by the stewards on the two competitors. They were considered to have hampered the fast laps of the BMWs of Gerloff and Baz. The two Panigale V4R riders were demoted three places, with the world champion pointing the finger at Bassani as the one who should have been the only one punished. Without complex, the latter responds to the one who is all the same the spearhead of the brand that he also represents on the track...
Alvaro Bautista considers that he did not bother anyone during the Super poles, taking every precaution to signal that he was not in a fast lap. But perhaps hidden by bassani who followed him like his shadow to benefit from his wake, he would have been the collateral victim of the Italian when the commissioners decided to put the two drivers Ducati in the same basket, to better punish them.
On his punishment, the one who did not really suffer from this sanction by winning hands down by first round who followed said: “ I was coming out of the pit lane and I had drivers behind me. I saw Bassani very close and Gerloff and Baz attacking turn 1. If I had cut, I would have risked Bassani hitting me. So I opened the throttle more to make turn 2 faster and stay clear of the line. I did it and I don't think I bothered Gerloff and Baz. The one who disturbed them was Bassani who was behind me and did not slow down to stay behind me. I couldn't turn off the gas because of Bassani, who disturbed the other two, so I don't think it's fair to penalize me ».
Some disagreement as #WorldSBK Superpole heats up 👀#NLDWorldSBK 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/tpCjaHLljZ
- WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) April 22, 2023
Axel Bassani: “ I don't need to go talk to Alvaro Bautista about it »
A version that reached the ears ofAxel Bassani who replied: “ I wasn't happy with the penalty either, but that didn't matter. I accept it, but no punishment is good. It's the race and yes, I disrupted Gerloff's turn, so the penalty is good », he mentions on speedweek.
For the Italian, it is legitimate that he follows the world champion on the track. “ Alvaro is currently the best driver, who else should I follow? I'm not the fastest yet, so I'm looking for a faster driver ". And the pilot of 23 years ends on the subject: “ If he's not happy, that's not my problem. I don't need to talk to him about it either, because it's a normal process. It's the same thing in racing ».
