Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola believes Pedro Acosta shouldn’t have been allowed to take the restart at the Catalan Grand Prix after a mechanical issue on his KTM triggered the first red flag.
The Barcelona event could prove to be a turning point for MotoGP, with two riders ending up in a hospital in a race that featured two red flags and three starts.
Rivola, who is also the president of the MotoGP Manufacturers’ Association (MSMA), touched on two main points from a sporting perspective.
“These are athletes who risk their lives at every corner, and we often forget that,» he told Sky Italia. «We should place greater value on what they do. From the standpoint of racing regulations, I believe we should be stricter — not against the spectacle, but in favor of safety.
“These riders are like lions in a cage, and when you set them free, they go all out.
«It has been noted that the starting line is very far from the first corner at Barcelona and that this causes the bikes to approach the first braking point at perhaps excessive speeds.
“But there are even longer ones; I’m thinking of Mugello, for example. In my opinion, it depends on the approach we take. After an accident like Alex’s and a red flag, if we restart that way, I’d expect the riders to be a bit more cautious. My call is for stricter race direction, but for the riders’ own good.”
Jorge Martin hit by Raul Fernandez: Aprilia’s self-inflicted disaster in Barcelona
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Acosta’s KTM suddenly slowed down while acclerating out of Turn 9 after developing a terminal electrical issue. Alex Marquez, who was running right behind his countryman, couldn’t avoid the hobbled KTM and made contact at high-speed. The resulting impact left Marquez with multiple injuries, forcing him out of the next two grands prix.
Acosta, meanwhile, was able to mount on his second bike and line up on the grid for the restart. He was running in fourth place until Fernandez’s team-mate Ai Ogura forced him out of the race at the final corner.
Speaking about this matter, Rivola said: «I believe that a rider who, for one reason or another — even if it’s beyond his control, like a technical issue — causes a red flag, shouldn’t then restart and continue the race. I’m sorry for what happened at the end of the race with Ogura, but these are aspects that I think we need to review.”
He added: «In my opinion, beyond the rule regarding the red flag and the possibility of restarting, the issue is a sporting one. I have nothing against Pedro, but I believe some things need to be reviewed. It’s a topic I’m bringing to the table alongside the sporting aspect. If they hadn’t let Acosta restart, they wouldn’t have taken anything away from anyone: it would have been a normal progression of the race.
«If the red flag had come out one lap after Pedro’s engine failure, he wouldn’t have been able to restart, because the rules state that the rider must return to the pits on the bike. So letting him back on the grid, having effectively caused the red flag, even if unintentionally, wasn’t right, in my opinion.»
When told rules allowed him to take the restart, he added: “I think some things need to be better defined in the regulations. It would be fairer not to let him restart. Of course, it might seem like a harsh penalty, but it isn’t. We need to talk about it.”
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, leading the Catalan race
Photo by: Jose Jordan / AFP via Getty Images
The Catalan GP was stopped for a second time when Johann Zarco’s leg got trapped in Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati heading into Turn 1.
The decision to restart the race yet again drew criticism from several quarters, including Aprilia rider Martin.
Asked if MotoGP can rely on riders being less aggressive, Rivola added: “Mind you, I’m not criticising race control, because this has always been the approach adopted — even deliberately — in the pursuit of spectacle.
«However, we should all take a moment to reflect. Beyond Pedro’s technical issue and what happened to Alex, certain situations become inevitable.
“Some crashes stem from the eagerness to get out in front right away, because these riders are lions in a cage: when you let them go, they race and attack whoever is near them, in the sporting sense of the term.”
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