It was a miracle nobody was hurt in Sunday’s Austrian GP according to Valentino Rossi, with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider taking to Instagram to share his feelings and experience on the incident. The Italian called for greater care among his competitors in his post, stating that while danger is part of the sport, ensuring everyone’s safety should be prioritised over gaining an advantage.
“I understand that in the race we play for so much and everyone gives their best to be at the front, but we must not forget that ours is a dangerous sport, and the safety of us and our opponents is far more important than gaining a position." In the post, he said that while there was no intention from Johann Zarco, poor decision making from the Frenchman was still the cause of the accident. "Zarco didn’t intentionally cause such a carambola (pile-up/ crash) but it still remains a serious error in judgement, one which a MotoGP rider cannot afford, especially at 310kph.”
Rossi also relived the incident via his onboard camera: "The images from my camera are the ones that scare me the most because from here you can understand the speed with which Franco’s motorcycle crossed the track in front of me. It passed so quickly I didn’t see it, and when I went back to the pits I was already shaken enough after seeing Zarco’s motorcycle literally flying over Maverick’s (Viñales) head." Rossi placed fifth in Sunday’s race, with Andrea Dovizioso battling his way to a first win of the season.