Fernandez, Marini disagree over “not intelligent” Indonesian GP battle

Raul Fernandez and Luca Marini have hit out at each other for making “not intelligent” moves in their battle for the final podium spot in the MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix.

On lap 14 of 27, Trackhouse rider Fernandez sent his Aprilia up the inside of Marini’s Honda into Turn 16 and appeared to have got the job done. However, Marini moved across the track and tried to repass Fernandez on the outside going into Turn 17, only for the pair to make contact and run wide at the exit of the corner.

This allowed the Yamaha of Alex Rins to pass them both in one move and grab third place, while Marini lost further momentum down the start/finish straight and slipped to eighth.

Fernandez eventually finished the race in sixth, behind Marini, on a weekend in which Aprilia had the strongest bike of any manufacturer, and he himself had finished on the podium in the sprint.

Speaking afterwards, the Spaniard put the blame firmly on Marini for the way he changed his line to retake the position.

“The result doesn't say what we deserve this weekend,” he lamented. “I have to tell you that during the race I was thinking to try to overtake [wherever I could]. 

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

“Maybe one of the moments during the race [where it went wrong for me] was when I touched Luca. 

“I overtook him at Turn 16, but I was super clean to overtake him. I stopped the bike well, he tried to close the line more and in that moment he made something that maybe for me is not super, super intelligent. 

“It is something you can do but it was not an intelligent move, because in that moment he saw that I was in the same position with him, he changed the line to put the bike inside. 

“In that moment, I'm so sorry, I even had the bike to make the last curve and I touched with him. 

“If at that moment I made my curve normally, maybe the history was a little bit different, but we don't know.”

When Fernandez’s remarks were put to him, Marini put the fault back on the Trackhouse rider and claimed he cost both of them a likely podium finish.

“I think Raul was not intelligent because me and him, apart from Bez and Fermin, had the best pace of everybody and we could easily be on the podium, both together, and it would be a fantastic result for Aprilia and his team also,” said the Italian.

“It's a pity for all the people that work really hard not to have a party tonight for this adventure. 

“I was trying to overtake Pedro [Acosta] every lap in two to three places and it was just a matter of time. It was not a fantastic move from Raul. I closed my line because I knew he was there, I wanted to be in front to try again on Pedro because I was very fast and it was just a matter of laps I completed my move on Pedro."

Marini added: “He is unhappy but he completely pushed me out. I don’t know what he wants another rider to do during a race, let him pass? It's a little bit strange that he is angry because he lost just a position, I lost five. I'm the one who is angry about this.”