The FIM Stewards Panel has awarded Marc VDS rider Jack Miller with a €1000 fine, after the Australian pushed Aspar Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista to the ground whilst the pair were trying to recover their stricken machines from the Turn 1 gravel trap.
Miller had made a good getaway from 10th on the grid and felt comfortable enough on his RC213V to carry on his top 10 finish. However, his race turned tricky when he got involved in a battle with a group of riders pushing the limits.
Twitter: Incident under investigation by the FIM stewards… https://t.co/1fVx4OAbOq (@MotoGP)
One such rider was Aspar’s Bautista, who pushed too hard on the brakes into the first corner on the sixth lap and collected Miller. Frustrated, the Australian shoved Bautista whilst the pair were in the gravel, an action he admits was wrong but felt the Spaniard should have known better.
“There was no way he was going to stop the bike there at Turn 1,” a disgruntled Miller said after the race to Autosport.com.
“He came in hot, his bike was still going, I was already halfway into the corner and then he lost the front and just cleaned me out.
“And then I pushed him. It was not the right thing to do, it was just built up frustration.
“It happened three times already that I got completely pushed off the end of the track with somebody else when my braking marker was correct.
“I had (Jonas) Folger and a few others do it to me, but I mean Folger’s a rookie and here is a hard track for the first time you race here with the full (fuel) load and everything
“It is a hard place to stop the bike, but I mean the likes of Bautista have been here longer than I have been riding a road bike, so he should know better.”
Unhappy to register his first DNF of the 2017 season, Miller has at least taken solace in the fact that his pace throughout the weekend was strong and was on target for another strong finish.
“It was a positive weekend until the race,” he added.
“I had a good pace in practice and I felt comfortable with the bike. It was a real shame, but the positives are that I had a great pace and I can take that forward to the race at Le Mans.”
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