Johann Zarco was officially punished by the FIM stewards five days after a collision with Franco Morbidelli during the MotoGP of Austria after investigating the frightening incident.
The governing body had originally decided against taking immediate action after the race on Sunday, but instead called a hearing on Thursday [20 August] both drivers presented their evidence separately and the data of their respective teams analyzed.
The FIM has now confirmed that Zarco will be held responsible for the collision and was started into the pit lane for his next MotoGP race by FIM stewards Bill Cumbow, Freddie Spencer and Ralph Bohnhorst as a punishment.
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Whether Zarco will be able to compete in Austria after a wrist operation during the week as a result of the violent accident has not yet been confirmed. If not, he’ll have to score the penalty in Misano in three weeks’ time.
While not the toughest criminal lawyers can convict, the decision to blame Zarco will create some controversy, not least because it took place days after the incident, apparently under pressure from other teams and drivers.
Why was Johann Zarco responsible for the crash?
To create a background before the crash, Zarco had just passed Morbidelli on the Avintia Ducati on the long stretch from Turn 1 to the left bend in Turn 2, but to defend the newly found position he moved to the right and offline over the Bow of the Yamaha.
Although he braked later than the previous lap, he caught Morbidelli unexpectedly. The Italian hit the rear of the Ducati with force, sending both down heavily and catapulting both Ducati and Yamaha motorcycles towards Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, narrowly missing them,
Therefore, the stewards based their decision not on the outcome of the crash, but on whether it could have been avoided. In short, Zarco was judged on whether he had given Morbidelli enough space to brake freely, which in this case was not.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting on Thursday, Zarco did not expect any punishment.
“I’ve explained everything [to the Stewards] and we even had good evidence with the data, ”said Zarco on Thursday evening. “From my point of view, there should be no penalties for not doing anything crazy. but let’s see how the decision turns out … “