security controversy. In Portimao Bastianini breaks his shoulder – Corriere.it

One smiles with the medal, the other shows a bitter grin, from a hospital bed with an arm bandaged around the neck. I sin the invincible. AND Bastianini, the wounded “Beast”: he will miss today’s match and that of Argentina, at least. A nightmare debut in the factory team.

Ducati is divided between joy and pain, split like the riders at the end of the first sprint race in MotoGP history. “A jungle” according to the 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo centered by Mir, or the “show that was needed” to hear Bagnaia, Martin and Marquez, the top three? The twelve laps around the Algarve racetrack distributed emotions and fear. The new format is fun but exposes to greater danger, Aleix Espargarò (three Aprilias among the top seven bikes) — still shaken by brother Pol’s accident on Friday: fractures to the jaw and a vertebra, pulmonary trauma, he’s hospitalized in Faro but is better — he uses a strong comparison: «My favorite film is “Gladiator” but not for this I would be happy to enter the arena». Unlike F1 – which has adopted the Sprints gradually, this year they will rise to six in 23 GPs -, Dorna instead has decided to offer them every Saturday with cascading effects throughout the weekend: you pull in free practice, you pull in qualifying, reduced to a side event – Marquez pole yesterday and he will start in front of everyone today -, he pulls himself into the Sprint.

Bagnaia won because he stayed out of trouble, after the title he is much more confident and aware of his strength and that of the Desmosedici, he used his best weapons to bend Martin, on the Pramac Ducati. He waited for a small mistake by the Spaniard to pass him, he thinks like a world champion: «The real points up for grabs are those on Sunday, the important thing on Saturday is to stay ahead and not win at all costs. Last year we complained about the lack of overtaking, and now we complain about too many overtaking? The right measure must be found, even on the track». The organizers and the riders too will have to work on it, because at times yesterday it seemed like wrestling. Only that real barrels flew. “Certain situations should be better regulated,” he says Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati – some were really too agitated ». Carlo Pernat, Bastianini’s manager: «I’m inc…, two riders in the hospital in two days. The race direction should give heavy measures to those who exaggerate, if everything goes unpunished there is a risk of major accidents ».

The Romagnolo broke his right scapula and will return to Italy on Monday to undergo further tests. The fracture is composed, so there is hope that he will be able to return on the weekend of April 14-16 in Austin. In the meantime, here and at Termas de Rio Hondo Ducati will field only Pecco’s bike. The accident was triggered by the fall of Luca Marini: “The contact took place after I slipped: Enea went wide – explains Valentino Rossi’s brother -, I tried to tighten the trajectory but I bent a degree more and my front closed. Unfortunately my bike hit him, I just tried to make my line and he did his. I’m really sorry. But in this MotoGP you can’t go wrong, we all go to the limit». Almost everyone, not Bagnaia: «I pushed a lot more in the tests than in the Sprint race». Perhaps his secret is in his patience