“I had no choice,” Fabio Quartararo reflects on his horrific first-lap crash with Miguel Oliveira at the Spanish GP

Fabio Quartararo was handed a long lap penalty for the incident with Miguel Oliveira.

“I had no choice,” Fabio Quartararo reflects on his horrific first-lap crash with Miguel Oliveira at the Spanish GP

(Image via The Race)

Fabio Quartararo had a disappointing race on Sunday. The Yamaha rider was stuck between Marco Bezzecchi and Miguel Oliveira. Unfortunately, he clipped the latter’s bike on the opening lap. Both drivers slid across the gravel, and their bikes hit the barriers. Quartararo and Oliveira underwent a medical examination. The horrific incident brought out the red flag.  

Yamaha’s Quartararo was medically cleared and went on to finish the race tenth. On the other hand, the Portuguese rider, Oliveira, was deemed unfit to continue. He suffered a dislocated left shoulder. Fabio Quartararo was criticized for taking down Oliveira. However, the Frenchman does not think he could have avoided the crash. But he regrets ruining Oliveira’s race. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WX8ndop_fI

Fabio Quartararo explained, “I’m just a little hurt, it’s a bruise but I don’t have anything. It’s not hurt at all, so I’m lucky I don’t have anything. [Marco] Bezzechi was in front, I was in the middle, I had no choice but to have done that, I couldn’t escape this accident. I just tried to brake and stop, but I hit Miguel… actually, I don’t know whom I hit first, but Miguel’s bike grabbed my clutch and I hit Bezecchi, but I had no other choice.”

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Fabio Quartararo wants an explanation for his penalty

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Fabio Quartararo. (Image via Le Mag Sport Auto)

Quartararo, the former world champion, was served a long-lap penalty by the FIM MotoGP stewards for causing the accident. However, he was surprised by the penalty as there was nothing he could have done to avoid the crash. The Yamaha rider and his team boss, Maio Meregalli, were unhappy with the stewards. They did not understand the penalty.

Quartararo stated, “I want race direction to have some explanation, no clear explanation was said. From our side, I think we don’t see anything strange and I think it is clearly not a penalty.” And to make things worse, Quartararo had to repeat his long-lap penalty. The stewards felt it was served incorrectly.

This is not the first time Miguel Oliveira has been knocked out of a race by a fellow rider. In Portimao, Marc Marquez crashed into him, and he could not continue the race. Oliveira had to miss the Argentina GP. The Portuguese rider only completed one of the first four races of the 2023 season. It has been a tough start to the new season for Oliveira. Hopefully, things turn around for him soon.

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