Franco Morbidelli came out swinging after being handed a three-place grid penalty for blocking Pedro Acosta during practice at the German Grand Prix on Friday, claiming he was giving it his all when the incident happened. The VR46 Ducati rider finds himself in the headlines once again, having received a similar penalty for a clash with Enea Bastianini at the previous round in Assen.
Controversy came to a head at Turn 7, where Morbidelli was on an out-lap and appeared to slow down just as Acosta was charging on a flying lap. The move forced Acosta to stop his fast race, leading to an immediate investigation by the MotoGP stewards and a speeding penalty for Morbidelli. Despite the failure, Morbidelli was adamant that he was not proceeding recklessly or riding slowly, but was performing at his absolute limit.
Addressing the incident, Morbidelli immediately defended his actions: “Yes, 39 minutes before the end,” he recalled regarding the exact time of the incident. “I was coming out of the pit box, and I was pushing, I was doing my job. And 100% of me was slower than Pedro. You know Pedro is incredibly fast. So, in that out lap, 100% of me was slower than Pedro. And for some reason… I mean, I hindered him. But I can assure you I was pushing 100%.”
Morbidelli continued to emphasize that his intensity on the track could be verified by his data: “Because I was in sector two, coming out of the pit box. But if you check my lap charts, they’re in the right spot. I’m pushing every lap, and I’m doing as much as possible every lap. So I came out of the pit box, and I was pushing straight away. And he was coming faster than me. And I was punished for it.”
When questioned whether tire warm-up played any role, Morbidelli insisted that he was not deliberately slowing down to manage his tyres: “If there is someone coming you can slow down,” he explained. “But the fact is I was pushing on the outside on the straightaway. And he was getting more heated. Maybe in that race, he was faster than me. But what do you want me to say? I was pushing on the outside on the straightaway. I mean, there’s something that’s hindering maybe when we’re going around.”
Reflecting on his previous penalty in Assen, Morbidelli admitted being at fault in that scenario, admitting that he had lost his focus after frustration: “That was the case in Assen, and I made a mistake. I was frustrated, and I was very disappointed with my lap. And I had a similar episode with another rider on the previous lap. So I was really angry, and on that lap, I slowed down and didn’t care about what was happening. And really. In, Enya was coming hot, and I made a mistake, and it wasn’t me, but this time, I was thrusting straight.
Morbidelli’s penalty adds another layer of drama to the German Grand Prix weekend, as the VR46 Ducati rider continues to battle both fierce rivals on track and the watchful eye of MotoGP race direction.
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