Rossi not impressed with Zarco’s ‘Moto2’ move
Valentino Rossi has expressed his disgruntlement over Johann Zarco’s aggressive approach in Sunday’s American Grand Prix, after the Frenchman forced Rossi off track at Turn 3, which resulted in a time penalty for the Italian.
Tech 3 Yamaha’s Zarco had already flashed his elbows in the early stages of the race, the MotoGP rookie carving his way past Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo at the end of the opening tour.
Twitter: Zarco is the man on the move, piling the pressure on #VR46… who was forced to run off the track!
#AmericasGP https://t.co/Q6rwfVQQSb (@MotoGP)
On lap seven, Rossi ran wide on the exit of Turn 1, and this allowed Zarco to get alongside as they flashed through the fast right at Turn 2. The Tech 3 rider carried that momentum all the way through to Turn 3 and attempted a move.
The pair almost collided, Rossi opting to utilise the section’s extensive run-off area to avoid an accident, an act that saw Race Direction hand him a 0.3s penalty for gaining an advantage.
Rossi felt Zarco’s manoeuvre was over the limit, and urged the double Moto2 champion to rethink his ways going forward.
“I want to speak with the guys in Race Direction, because I had no choice (but to go off track),” he said to British television directly after the race.
“Either I do it like this, or we touch and we crash together. Also, when you go 180km/h and you see a black shadow on the left, you don’t decided – you go straight.
“The problem is Zarco, because he’s a great talent, but he did a mistake. This is not Moto2, you cannot overtake like this.”
Despite his penalty, Rossi was able to chase down Dani Pedrosa, pass him and build up the necessary buffer required to secure second place. With his team-mate’s demise on the second lap, the 38-year-old Italian now moves six points clear at the top of the championship.
Rossi admits to being surprised at his position in the standings after such a difficult winter adjusting to the new M1, and reckons the team are yet to truly unlock its potential. However, he concedes that the bike is improving, and is happy with its performance on used rubber, which was a major issue in 2016
“It was a great surprise for me and the team, because we’ve been struggling very much with the new bike, especially during the winter.
“I think we need more time to understand the setting and the way to ride it, but at the end this bike is very good, especially in the race and with the used tyres.
“I’m so happy, because today I wasn’t so far from the front, and it’s also the best result of my career at this track, so it’s good. When I saw ‘Vinales out’ (on his pit board), I started to think, ‘I’m on top of the championship standings.’”