Morbidelli: MotoGP stewards’ decision on Barcelona crash only ‘good for the show’

LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami crashed at Turn 1 in Sunday’s race at the start trying to recover ground from 12th on the grid, wiping out Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia with his head and taking Suzuki’s Alex Rins down with his errant RC213V.

Rins – who slammed the stewards for dismissing the accident as a racing incident – has a fractured left wrist, while Nakagami will stay in hospital overnight for checks, but has currently escaped serious injury.

The incident and decision from the stewards has prompted a massive debate among the riders, with Morbidelli – was 13th in the race – says only “the show” benefits from this incident as it will be spread across social media.

“If we think for show, yes,” Morbidelli said when asked if the stewards’ decision was correct.

“For the riders, no. I’m being sincere. This video is going to be seen by thousands, millions, of people, this huge bomb in Turn 1 at 250km/h.

“It’s our job, it is, it’s like this.

“I mean, I’m cynical, but life is cynical, MotoGP is cynical sometimes, sport is cynical.

“If you are here caring for the other, racing would be much nicer. But many things are involved.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing leads, Takaaki Nakagami, Team LCR Honda and Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP crash, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team behind

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

This incident has led to a debate as to whether MotoGP Race Direction is doing enough to protect the riders by dissuading problematic behaviour, with Rins and Nakagami also involved in a clash at Mugello in which no penalty was handed out.

Morbidelli agrees that more could be done on this side, but the onus must be on the riders on track to “use their head more” and be aware of the safety of those around them.

“I think that some people should use their head more, when they are racing,” he added.

“We are racing, the price is high. We all want to achieve great results, we all want a lot and we are all ready to risk a lot to achieve great results.

“But, we should care a little bit more about our health and our colleagues’ health.

“Sometimes we tend to forget this, and it’s a normal thing for a rider, for a human being. But when these things happen, it’s frustrating, it makes me angry.

“I think that there are people that are taking care about us, in a sense that we don’t hurt ourselves alone or when we are riding, when are doing normal stuff.

“There is people taking care about that.

“But I feel that the only people that can take care about ourselves when we are racing, when we are going at 360km/h at 20, 25cm further from the other, or when we arrive at 25 riders at 270km/h with cold tyres at Turn 1 and it’s a 60, 70km/h corner, it’s the riders.

“Nobody can take care. They can discourage these kinds of actions – they could, but they don’t, but for many reasons. And sincerely I accept that.”