Franco Morbidelli disputes Simon Crafar decision at Hungarian MotoGP

Franco Morbidelli has confessed his disagreement with the penalty he was given in the Hungarian MotoGP.

Morbidelli ran most of the race in fourth place, but was caught towards the end by Jorge Martin and then by Luca Marini with three laps to go.

Marini tried to pass on the inside of turn nine, but Morbidelli tried to hold on around the outside. The VR46 Racing Team rider cut turn 10 as a result of his defence and maintained his position.

On the penultimate lap, Morbidelli was given a one position drop penalty which he served at turn 11 by dropping behind Marini, who then kept fifth to the line while Morbidelli kept sixth.

Franco Morbidelli disagreed with Hungarian MotoGP penalty

Morbidelli said after the race that he was managing his pace throughout the race, and that he felt his defence against Marini was “good”.

“It was a difficult race,” Franco Morbidelli told MotoGP.com after the Hungary race.

“I was trying to make the soft [rear] tyre last for as long as I could, but, unfortunately, I didn’t manage to do that, I had less speed than the guys I was with and I had to survive.

“At the end, I thought I made a good defence on Luca [Marini], but Simon [Crafar, MotoGP Stewards Panel Chairman] decided to make me drop one position; it’s okay, it doesn’t make a lot of difference – P5, P6.

“Anyway, it’s a good weekend for the team, and we got back on having a really interesting speed.

“Yesterday we got on the podium in the Sprint race; today, even though I didn’t have a really great feeling and I was trying to manage all race long, I was there. So, we can be happy with this weekend.”

“Solid weekend” for Luca Marini

Fifth for Marini marked his strongest result so far as a Honda MotoGP rider, beating the sixth he scored at Sachsenring.

The Italian was pleased not only with the result but also with the way he worked throughout the weekend.

“It was a really solid weekend since the beginning,” he said.

“I was feeling comfortable in a new track, in a new layout.

“I knew that it could be a good occasion for us, an opportunity, so I tried to work super-strong, super-hard in this weekend, from the beginning, and tried to improve my riding with the bike.

“We grew up a lot together this weekend.

“We made good moves on the setting and I was feeling really comfortable on the bike; and with a good qualifying and a good start, everything is easier. So, it was a really nice weekend.”