Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia team principal Massimo Rivola strongly believes that Pedro Acosta should have been barred from restarting the Catalan Grand Prix last weekend after his bike was deemed to be the sole reason for Alex Marquez’s horrific crash.
Following the events that unfolded at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last Sunday, Alex Marquez was diagnosed with a broken right collarbone and fractured vertebrae. The Gresini star successfully underwent surgery and is understood to now be recovering at home.
The initial images of the crash that were televised around the world portrayed a brutal incident, and left Fabio Quartararo in an emotional state in his factory Yamaha garage after riders were subjected to replays over the world feed.
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Carmelo Ezpeleta has defended the decision to restart the Catalan GP twice!
As Pedro Acosta rounded turn nine, his KTM RC16 completely lost power on exit, and he became a passenger as second-place man Marquez careered into the back of his prototype.
The breakdown was reportedly caused by a failure within the bike’s electronic throttle-by-wire system, which is something that Acosta had raised with KTM after taking pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session.
The 21-year-old’s bike rapidly decelerated on the racing line, and despite his raising of an arm to indicate that he was suffering an issue, there simply wasn’t enough time for Marquez to react to what was happening in front of him.
Massimo Rivola doesn’t think Pedro Acosta should have been allowed to restart the Catalan GP
Due to the severity of the crash caused by KTM’s electronic issue, Aprilia team boss Massimo Rivola is under the impression that Acosta simply should not have taken part in either of the restarts during the Catalan Grand Prix.
“A day like today makes us appreciate even more what the drivers do and how much we take it for granted,” he told Sky Sport Italia, via Motosan. “They’re phenomenal, risking their lives at every corner – we forget that. We should give more credit to what these lads do.
“From a sporting point of view, however, I think some things need to be reviewed. Acosta, in fact, caused the red flag. In a normal race, he would have retired.
Should MotoGP riders have refused to restart the Catalan GP after the second red flag?
“I think that a rider who, even for a reason beyond his control, such as a technical problem, has caused a red flag shouldn’t be allowed to start again. I’ve got nothing against Pedro, God forbid. Alex’s crash, at that moment, was inevitable. [Johann] Zarco’s crash was even worse.”
Rivola also pointed towards the riders themselves as a leading factor for the second horrific incident that ensued upon the restart. The Italian believes stricter guidelines need to be implemented by MotoGP.
“I think the riders had the wrong approach,” he added. “After a crash like Alex’s, I expected all the riders to be more cautious.
“My suggestion is for stricter race direction for the riders’ sake. We want a good show, but some crashes are caused by the eagerness to get back out there straight away.”
- READ MORE: Johann Zarco reveals why he should have pulled out of Catalan GP moments before ‘terrifying’ crash
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