Franco Morbidelli apologised to Maverick Vinales after a collision in Sunday’s Italian MotoGP caused the Tech3 KTM rider to crash out of the race. The incident occurred shortly after Vinales had overtaken Morbidelli for fourth place, when Morbidelli made a bold attempt to reclaim the position by lunging up the inside.
Unaware of Morbidelli’s move, Vinales and Morbidelli made contact, which resulted in Vinales falling off his bike. Race officials from the FIM MotoGP Stewards responded by issuing Morbidelli a long lap penalty for causing the collision, followed by a second penalty after Morbidelli failed to adhere to the penalty lane rules during his initial attempt.
Race consequences and Morbidelli’s efforts to recover positions
As a result of the penalties and the incident, Morbidelli dropped from his previous position but managed to finish sixth by overtaking Raul Fernandez in the final laps. Reflecting on the race, Morbidelli acknowledged the mistake that led to the collision and emphasised his focus on maintaining tyre management and speed throughout the event.
I’m happy about the speed. We had the fastest lap in the race,
Morbidelli told MotoGP.com.
I was trying to manage as much as possible the tyres and I made a mistake in Turn 1. Then I got engaged with Maverick and in the fight, we touched and he ended up on the ground.
Sorry about that. It’s a big pity. I’m happy that he’s not injured because, you know, in these kind of things anything can happen. He’s OK.
—Franco Morbidelli
I had to pay for that – made a long lap, made a mistake, had to pay twice because I made another long lap. Then I just tried to get the maximum, which was P6.
—Franco Morbidelli
Vinales responds to the incident and looks ahead
Maverick Vinales, who had started the race sixth on the grid and was maintaining a strong pace before the crash, showed visible frustration immediately afterward while stranded in the gravel trap. However, he later accepted Morbidelli’s apology and decided to move on from the clash without holding a grudge.
He apologised. So I accept. It’s racing, we are riders, and one time it’s going in your favour, one time it’s not,
said Vinales.
So at the end, for me, the races are like this. When you battle in the front and these things happen, you know you need to move on.
But the good thing is that we had a lot of speed and the level was there.
—Maverick Vinales
Upcoming preparations for Assen practice
Both Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Vinales are set to return to action at the upcoming opening practice session in Assen on Friday morning. Despite the tension and setbacks experienced during the Italian GP, both riders remain focused on continuing to compete at a high level as the MotoGP season progresses.
