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MotoGP, Dovizioso: "Lorenzo was not clearheaded, he must be penalized"

"It wasn't a huge error, but it's serious because a champion committed it on the 2nd lap. Back to the old turn? Some riders only think about their own interests. It's stupid."

MotoGP: Dovizioso: "Lorenzo was not clearheaded, he must be penalized"

Of all those involved in Lorenzo's accident, Dovizioso was the one who lost the most. "I never believed in luck or bad luck. I never hid behind certain things, but this time they're testing me. There were 5 of us, and only one was left standing,” Andrea tried to joke. It's difficult, however, to look for something funny in this after having been excluded from the race without faults and now seeing Marquez far ahead in the rankings.

"Want to know how I feel? I'm disappointed because I had the chance to fight with Marc for the win. I had a good start. I was in the right position, and I was preparing the tires to start pushing," he said.

Then Turn 10 came up...
"What happened is very clear. Lorenzo was in a good position. He had a good pace. He wanted to stay in front and made a big mistake. It's easy to make one at that turn, and a small mistake can become a big one."

What caused it?
"At that moment, Jorge was not clearheaded. He only thought about overtaking Vinales, who had already broken away at the limit, and he didn't see where he was braking. In itself, it wasn't a big error, but it becomes one if it's a champion like himself who made it and on the second lap. It was not a crazy maneuver. Jorge knows to handle a certain type of braking, very well, but he wasn't clearheaded."

Can you explain yourself better?
"It's not a huge error. Braking at that turn is complicated even when you're alone because there are no clear references. In a group, it becomes even more complicated. Lorenzo took off inside and you can't have a margin. He should have thought that there were 4 riders in front of him. It was not a big riding error. It was due to too much enthusiasm."

Do you think Lorenzo should be penalized?
"Of course. It's clear that the error was caused by his not being clearheaded at the moment . His consequences have nothing to do with this. He was focused only on Vinales, without looking where he was. I don't want to point the finger at anyone, but Moto3 riders are penalized for these errors, and the same must happen for everyone."

Did you accept Lorenzo's apology?
"Nothing would have changed, and it was smarter to accept it. I'm pleased that he came to apologize but, I repeat, nothing changes."

Some say you braked too much at that turn...
"Those who think that have never raced and don't understand much about bikes."

Marquez said you and Vinales were off the trajectory, unlike Lorenzo...
"Of course I went wide. He had just slipped in. How could I have closed the corner more?"

Rossi would prefer to go back to the old layout for that turn, with a wider radius. What do you think?
I better not say what I really think. No one likes this turn, but it's the best solution for safety. Unfortunately, in Safety Commission, most riders think too much about their personal interests when we talk about track changes, and I think it's pretty stupid. I won't add anything else. Those who want to understand will."

Let's look at the future now and at the 37 points that separate you from Marquez. Is the championship already over?
"If I thought so, I wouldn't race in the upcoming races. We're strong and anything can still happen, although I know that when Marc has a big advantage, it's not easy to recuperate. Until today, I was close to him. I could have brought him to the limit and put pressure on him. Now the situation is different. This fall is a bad blow for the championship. I can't hide it. Now Marquez can manage the advantage."

But it's also a championship full of turn of events. Could that help?
"It's strange because there are so many fast riders, and sometimes it creates a bit of confusion. Until yesterday, Quartararo and Rins were given as favorites for the race. Instead, Marquez won. I could have stayed with him, at least fighting for second place. We had worked well. I had a good feeling, but now we're far from Marc. The championship is long. Anything can still happen."

Translated by Leila Myftija

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