Maverick Vinales Reflects on High-Speed Tangle with Marco Bezzecchi: ‘I Think the Stewards Understand’ After Dramatic Australian GP Sprint Incident

Maverick Vinales comments on his incident with Marco Bezzecchi, stating: 'I believe the officials get it.' The Aprilia rider shares his perspective on the frightening crash that occurred during the MotoGP sprint in Australia.

Maverick Vinales, feeling "sore," mentioned that he has discussed the incident involving his clash with Marco Bezzecchi during the Australian Grand Prix sprint race with MotoGP's stewards and believes they have grasped his perspective.

Vinales, who started from the third position on the front row, overtook Bezzecchi to secure fifth place just before reaching the Turn 1 braking zone at Phillip Island during the second-to-last lap of the sprint.

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Bezzecchi seemed unable to halt his bike while approaching Turn 1, resulting in a frightening collision where he crashed into the back of the Aprilia.

A mishap occurred late in the event 💥 Fortunately, Maverick has been confirmed to be in good health, and Bez doesn't have any broken bones, although he has been taken to a Melbourne hospital for a comprehensive evaluation. The Stewards are still examining the incident #AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/6z8hsHSmTu

Vinales did not sustain any bone fractures and will receive anti-inflammatory therapy. Bezzecchi, on the other hand, was transported to the hospital for examinations but seems to have avoided any broken bones as well.

The situation is presently being examined; however, the process has been postponed until Sunday because Bezzecchi cannot be present for his meeting with the stewards.

Vinales refrained from explicitly stating that the VR46 racer ought to face a penalty. However, he implied that the stewards should consider this course of action following their discussion.

He expressed to motogp.com that he was feeling quite achy.

"Clearly, I'm experiencing increasing pain. This is to be expected, given the severity of the crash. I approached the gravel at high speed."

"Fortunately, the helmet did its job, and I owe a big thanks to Arai and Alpinestars for providing such reliable safety gear. It's truly remarkable how well it protects you."

"It seems that nothing is fractured, but there is significant soreness, particularly in the hand and arms."

"From my perspective, it seemed like he attempted to pass me once more after I had already overtaken him."

"Of course, I understood that I couldn't go beyond the limit, so I slowed down to give him some room."

"Perhaps he misjudged the point where he needed to brake, and when he did apply the brakes, he ended up right on top of me."

Race officials must determine the boundary of the incident. I provided them with a detailed explanation of the events, and it seems they have grasped what occurred.

"They were attentive, which is crucial, and we'll find out what happens. Fortunately, we are both fine and will be competing tomorrow."

Fernandez earns top spot for Aprilia in sprint race

After Vinales' departure, Aprilia was represented by Raul Fernandez from Trackhouse Racing in the sprint. Fernandez finished seventh, despite starting in sixth place.

Due to a tire pressure penalty given to VR46's Fabio Di Giannantonio, Fernandez moved up to sixth place, achieving his top sprint finish of the season.

The Spanish driver acknowledged that he had "a bit of luck" working in his favor, but he commended Trackhouse for bouncing back after a challenging Friday, noting that the team felt they had "lost a day" in Australia.

"It’s correct that we had an excellent day," Fernandez stated.

"It's also true that we had a stroke of luck since we ended up in 10th place and managed to score some points thanks to a few crashes. Nonetheless, our performance was impressive."

"Yesterday was quite challenging for our team. In a way, we can consider it a lost day, but we managed to bounce back effectively."

"Indeed, today was the first occasion I attempted using the hard front tire during the sprint."

"In essence, I completed the sprint to gather information for the next day, and I also focused on this aspect from the back."

"The focus was more on gaining experience for the next day, understanding how the tire feels, rather than aiming to score any points."

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