Johann Zarco pinged by stewards
FIM Stewards have penalised Johann Zarco for ‘irresponsible riding’ following his collision with Franco Morbidelli during the race on Sunday 16th August.
The penalty will mean the Frenchman, if medically cleared to race this weekend, will have to start his next race from pit-lane.
This decision will receive a fair bit of criticism from many quarters as many racers, pundits and commentators believed Zarco did nothing particularly wrong and that it was instead just a racing incident. Zarco’s team also presented telemetry that showed Zarco actually braked a little later than he had in previous laps.
At the end of the day though the only opinion that matters is of the FIM MotoGP Stewards panel which is composed of Bill Cumbow, Freddie Spencer and Ralph Bohnhorst.
Zarco still has to get a medical clearance to race this weekend after wrist surgery earlier this week and will not be on track until Saturday at the earliest.
Personally I hope it is wet on Sunday, and Zarco comes through from the back of the field and finishes second to Jack Miller.
Red Bull Ring modifications
Following the incident in the Austrian GP between Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) that brought out the Red Flag, Race Direction have overseen modifications to the inside of Turn 3 at the Red Bull Ring in order to minimise the risk of a similar incident reoccurring.
A new wall has been built to make sure nothing can run on and re-enter the track. The wall is constructed of FIA fencing, tyres and an air fence.
