MotoGP stars Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez have criticised riders slowing down in qualifying to position themselves behind faster bikes, saying it could lead to “dangerous” situations.
The debate over towing in MotoGP was reignited on Saturday at Silverstone as a number of riders ran in a group on their second runs in order to gain an aerodynamic advantage on the circuit’s three long straights.
While slipstreaming in itself does not necessarily pose a safety issue, qualifying for the British Grand Prix saw many riders get down to crawling speeds to allow their rivals to get through, before picking up the speed and latching behind them.
This led to some bizarre scenes as the clock ticked down to zero, with Aprilia’s Espargaro taking advantage of the situation to claim his first pole of the year, having managed to get a clean lap without anyone running close to him.
Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was the first to express his frustration with the way the grid-deciding session was held at Silverstone, saying nothing will change until the rulemakers intervene.
Despite benefitting from Bagnaia’s troubles, Espargaro joined the Italian in slamming riders for creating a “ridiculous” problem in qualifying, while warning about the dangers associated with slowing down unnecessarily on track.
The poleman said: “In qualifying you can take two risks. The first one is to go out [as the] first one [on track] because everybody is going to follow you, you are in the mix with everybody.
“Or the second one is to wait [and] go last, but then if there is a yellow flag you ruin your lap.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I took the second one. I don’t like to go behind others. I like to go by myself.
“I agree with Pecco. For me it is ridiculous that riders are waiting in the garage all the time for a tow.
“It’s ridiculous to see five, six riders – and it’s always the same riders – in the middle of the track that are waiting for the others [while being] completely stopped.
“You put also [your rivals] in danger because the others don’t want to push or the tyres get cold and it’s dangerous.
“But they can do it, the rules allow them to do it. So this is racing, but like Pecco for me it’s ridiculous.”
Six-time champion Marquez followed Bagnaia on his first run in qualifying and set a lap that provisionally put him fifth on the grid after a tough Friday at…
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