MotoGP stars Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez have criticised riders slowing down in qualifying to place themselves behind quicker bikes, saying it might result in “harmful” conditions.
The controversy over towing in MotoGP was reignited on Saturday at Silverstone as quite a lot of riders ran in a bunch on their second runs with the intention to acquire an aerodynamic benefit on the circuit’s three lengthy straights.
Whereas slipstreaming in itself doesn’t essentially pose a security challenge, qualifying for the British Grand Prix noticed many riders get right down to crawling speeds to permit their rivals to get by means of, earlier than selecting up the pace and latching behind them.
This led to some weird scenes because the clock ticked right down to zero, with Aprilia’s Espargaro benefiting from the state of affairs to say his first pole of the 12 months, having managed to get a clear lap with out anybody working near him.
Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was the primary to specific his frustration with the best way the grid-deciding session was held at Silverstone, saying nothing will change till the rulemakers intervene.
Regardless of benefitting from Bagnaia’s troubles, Espargaro joined the Italian in slamming riders for making a “ridiculous” drawback in qualifying, whereas warning concerning the risks related to slowing down unnecessarily on monitor.
The poleman mentioned: “In qualifying you possibly can take two dangers. The primary one is to exit [as the] first one [on track] as a result of everyone goes to observe you, you’re within the combine with everyone.
“Or the second is to attend [and] go final, however then if there’s a yellow flag you destroy your lap.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Staff
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photos
“I took the second. I do not prefer to go behind others. I prefer to go on my own.
“I agree with Pecco. For me it’s ridiculous that riders are ready within the storage on a regular basis for a tow.
“It is ridiculous to see 5, six riders – and it is at all times the identical riders – in the course of the monitor which are ready for the others [while being] utterly stopped.
“You place additionally [your rivals] in peril as a result of the others do not need to push or the tyres get chilly and it is harmful.
“However they will do it, the foundations enable them to do it. So that is racing, however like Pecco for me it is ridiculous.”
Six-time champion Marquez adopted Bagnaia on his first run in qualifying and set a lap that provisionally put him fifth on the grid after a tricky Friday at Silverstone.
Nonetheless, on his ultimate flying try, the Gresini rider received caught behind the slower VR46 bikes of Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi and failed to enhance on his earlier effort, dropping to seventh on the grid.
Regardless of attempting to realize a bonus himself, Marquez additionally wasn’t too happy with the best way qualifying panned out. However he additionally believes that switching to the superpole format – the place all riders take turns in setting their quickest laps – will adversely have an effect on the present.
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photos
“Racing was and will likely be like this if they do not change the qualifying apply they usually put [something] like a superpole,” he mentioned.
“However as we’ve seen up to now, the superpole is boring. I haven’t got something towards it however [World] Superbikes was like one-by-one [in qualifying] and the present was not there.
“However ultimately, whenever you observe some bike, you acquire some issues and [lose] different issues.
“As we noticed immediately within the second run, everyone in Q2 was ready for the quickest guys.”
One concept that has been pitched includes setting a most time restrict for every sector, which might forestall riders from slowing down an excessive amount of on monitor in qualifying.
Nonetheless, Marquez doesn’t suppose it will completely clear up the issue, as riders will merely sit within the pits and look ahead to quicker bikes to exit on monitor.
“You possibly can change however then the technique will likely be within the pitlane, like in Moto3 proper now,” he mentioned.
“You possibly can change the sectors, however then the technique will likely be within the pitlane. Ultimately you could have completely different methods to do it.
“This GP is the primary one which I am searching for a slipstream. I wish to not do it, like I did up to now races, however the guidelines are the foundations and I am not the man to resolve.”
