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MotoGP, Zarco critical of FIM Stewards Panel

"Not the right people in the right place. We need real men to decide, but they are afraid to make decisions and don't know what to do”

MotoGP: Zarco critical of FIM Stewards Panel

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Johann Zarco is in non-stop talking mood at the end of Friday and it was to be imagined after the decision to start him from the pit lane in the race following the accident last Sunday that also involved Franco Morbidelli. The French driver showed up for the debrief with the media after a 45-minute wait following the meeting in safety commission.

“The positive thing about this day is that I was declared fit for the race weekend - he began - this is the most important thing of all. For me it will be a good opportunity to ride tomorrow, to regain the right confidence with the bike and understand my level on the bike, as well as the sensations. I still feel some pain, but I feel better. I had the medical check; I also did several push-ups and was finally declared fit. However, the doctors told me that I will be monitored during the weekend and, if I am not in shape during the two days, they would intervene to stop me ”.

What about the hot topic of the day, namely the penalty…?

“I was thinking of appealing after the decision to start me from the pit lane on Sunday, but in the end, I thought it was better to avoid given the situation, so as not to add more fuel to the fire. I accept this penalty and close the story here, even if it's not over for me. However, it is better to serve the penalty here, rather than at Misano, when I am 100% fit. But apart from that, starting from the pit lane remains a problem, because physically I feel better and I want to ride, and I know that I can be competitive. If it rains on Sunday it could even be an interesting race with a lot of surprises ”.

It was therefore a bit of a troubled day for Zarco and he was pretty disappointed…

“In the end my opinion didn't matter, it had no reason to be explained, as the FIM Stewards Panel had already decided from the images. The decision was communicated to me late in the day in person. The fact is that we need to have real men to decide, but unfortunately there are not the right people in the right place. In fact, those who are there are afraid of making a mistake and often do not know what to do. At certain times they decide yes, others no. Look for example at Pol Espargarò. He too had to deal with an accident very similar to the one in Brno, but now he’s smiling and makes it known that it was a race accident. Those who decide and remain involved in the accident never judge in the same way. Sorry, but this is life, there is nothing to be done ".

One of the things Pol said was that the riders must be more responsible…

"Sure, I agree. Every rider must be responsible and I am convinced that today the accident on Sunday would not happen again, also because no one would ever want to hurt others. Personally, in fact, I believe that I have more experience in that situation after what happened and at the same time if I can overtake in a specific part of the track I certainly wouldn't hold back ".

Regarding the accident, the one at Phillip Island with Marquez comes to mind…

“The speed was the same. In that case, I was the only one who ended up on the ground, even though my bike destroyed his. At that juncture, his bike was moving a lot and due to the slipstream, I crashed into the rear of his Honda. Franco, like me, was behind last Sunday and in the end, he came against me, and we both ended up on the ground ”.

Tomorrow the two riders will find themselves back on track…

"I saw Franco today, but we just talked to find out about each other's conditions. Nothing more. Something bad happened last Sunday, but today we just wanted to check how we were. In the Safety Commission, however, we talked about several things, in addition to safety also about the tyres for next year. From tomorrow, however, I go back to focussing on the bike. I think I can be competitive here in Austria and I hope to find the right rhythm right away. "

 

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