FIM Stewards announce verdicts on Spanish MotoGP clashes

FIM Stewards announce decisions on Zar✤co-Acosta, Zarco-Espargaro🦄 and Miller-Morbidelli clashes in the Spanish MotoGP race.

Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco, MotoGP race, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April
Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco, MotoGP race, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April

While damp patches accounted for all but one of the 15 accidents in the Saturday Sprint, Sunday’s Spanish M💝otoGP saw three sets of rider clashes placed under investigation by the FIM Stewards.

The verdict for all three has now been announced as ‘no fu💫rther action’.

The first incident involved opening lap contact between Johann Zarco and Pedr🃏o Acosta, in which both stayed on board.

The FIM Stewards declared “The intention to penalise would have been a drop of one position for #5 [Zarco], but the Stewards having reviewed the footage decided that #5 corrected the matter himself by the followi🌌ng sector.”

The Frenchman was the victim of the second clash, bein☂g sent flying on lap 10 when his LCR Honda was struck by Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia (pictured). ♓;

The Spaniard lost the front into Turn 5 after several heated back-and-forth passes bet🐬ween the pair over 16th place.

“After [a] hearing with botꩲh riders and after further review [this] was determined to be a race incident,” read a summary statement from the Stewards.

Another dramatic Turn 5 clash occ꧃urred 8 laps later when Franco Morbidelli fell and took out Jack Miller during an attempted overtake for eleventh.

The furious KTM rider then screamed at the Italian in the gravel trap. Espargaro also said he had been hit by Morbidelli ‘a couꦦple of times’ earlier in the race.

Once again, the Stewards ruled: “After [a] hearing with both riders and after furᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ🐟⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚther review [this] was determined to be a race incident.”

A🐼s such, the only penalties handed out on Sunday was a doubꦰle long lap for Augusto Fernandez due to an ‘incorrect starting location’ - which became a ride-through penalty after failing to complete the long laps within 5 laps of being notified.

 

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