Diggia: “I pray to be safe at Turn 1” in MotoGP, “completely unacceptable”

Fabio di Giannantonio has urged MotoGP to take stronger action following the second major first-corner incident in the last three grands prix.

The VR46 Ducati rider was among five riders collected in Sunday's Balaton Park accident.

Jorge Martin lost control under braking and collided with Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, with di Giannantonio, Fermin Aldeguer and Raul Fernandez also caught up in the incident.

Unlike the Catalunya restart crash that left Johann Zarco with serious leg injuries, all riders fortunately escaped major injury in Hungary. Martin was later handed a double long-lap penalty for causing the incident.

di Giannantonio, who recovered to finish tenth after rejoining the race, warned that riders are taking excessive risks at the start of grands prix.

“First of all, I hope that everybody is safe, that is the most important thing,” he said.

“But for sure, whatever happened with Jorge, we need to avoid it.

“I think, and talking also about myself, we risk too much every time. 

"We are not risking just to crash or lose the front [for ourselves], we are risking to put the lives of other riders in danger.

“Because today could be again much, much worse. And this is not good, at all, for our sport and for our lives.

“So I think if we don't understand this with the good penalties, we need to do it with bad penalties.

“I think it's crazy that I have to pray before the race - not to do a good race, but to be safe after the first corner. I think this is completely crazy.”

The importance of track position at the first corner has been magnified in recent seasons by difficulties in following other riders closely, due to overheating front tyres and dirty air from the aerodynamics.

“It can be for whatever [reason]. I don’t care. I just want to race; I want to fight hard for my place, but I want to come back home,” said di Giannantonio.

“And at the moment, I think we are experiencing in the last years, crazy things on the starts. 

"I always say - and it has to be the same to me if I do these things - it's completely unacceptable.”

MotoGP is already evaluating measures to improve start safety, including the possibility of moving from three riders per row to a Formula 1-style two-by-two grid.

di Giannantonio believes increased spacing could reduce the incentive for taking excessive risks.

“For sure, we are really close [together] at the first corner,” he said. “And if a rider risks a lot, the reward is really high at the moment.

“If we arrive with much more distance between us, then you risk a lot for just two places. Maybe it isn't worth it. And maybe you don't do it.

“So whatever it takes to make some space, for sure it's best.”

Asked if the nature of the first corner at Barcelona and Balaton was an issue, the Italian replied:

“There are tracks that are more critical than others, where we arrive with a lot of speed or whatever, but I think we are the best riders in the world; we can handle the situation.

“But again, if we can't do it by ourselves, some more space, or starting closer to the first corner or whatever, for sure helps.”
 

di Giannantonio rode to victory in Catalunya despite pain from a hand injury caused by debris from Alex Marquez’s earlier accident.

His Balaton recovery was also impressive, even if it only underlined what might have been.

“If we see the race only after the second lap it’s been a good race,” he said.

“The first couple of laps were difficult because I felt sick after the crash.

“But my pace was really good. After the second lap I was 20 seconds off Marquez and at the end 28 seconds. 

"So it means a podium was possible because Pecco finished 11 seconds behind.

The result leaves di Giannantonio third in the world championship, 42 points behind leader Bezzecchi and just six points ahead of KTM rider Pedro Acosta.