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MotoGP, Ducati winglets controversy continues

Capirossi: "They are dangerous". Contact between Iannone and Marquez reopens the spoiler debate

Ducati winglets controversy continues

This image, taken by the on-board camera of Andrea Iannone's Ducati during the Argentinian Grand Prix, landed on the desk of Race Direction.

It shows contact being made between the Ducati's front left spoiler and Marc Marquez's back in a rather heated moment during the opening laps. The Honda rider did not complain about it, but it seems his leathers were marked as a result of the contact. It's not clear, however, whether this close encounter of the third kind caused the rear camera of the Spaniard's Honda to break. The fact remains that Loris Capirossi wanted clarification.

"I went to the Ducati garage to check the solidity of the spoiler, I asked them to give me an old fairing and it is in fact impossible to break the winglet. This means that if contact were to be made, they could cause damage. For now I'm not saying they'll be banned but it's something we'll discuss in the future. In a collision, they could become dangerous".
The dimensions and positioning of the spoilers will be the subject of further discussion.

To be clear, it is not those low winglets, such as those of the Honda, that are under debate, but those positioned on the front fairing. Perhaps, as a minimum, the fastening system could be revised, as at 350 km/h the thrust the winglets have to cope with is significant.

Translated by Heather Watson

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