Braking bad: Rossi, Dovizioso incident 'not clever'

Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso saw their Dutch MotoGP podium hopes end after a 'bar-to-'bar braking contest into Turn One, on the penultimate lap.

The pair had been holding second and third, behind race winner Marc Marquez, with three laps to go when Rossi passed Dovizioso into the final chicane.

But the Ducati rider got a better slingshot out of the turn and slipstreamed alongside his fellow Italian on the home straight.

The pair were side-by-side as they reached the braking zone, but neither would concede the position and both ran deep into the corner. 

Rossi - on the outside - was forced off track, while Dovizioso also had to back off the throttle to make the turn. Rossi rejoined in sixth, while Dovi lost out to Maverick Vinales and then Alex Rins.

Dovizioso and Rossi - who went on to finish fourth and fifth respectively - agreed the incident was regrettable, but each thought the other rider should have given way.

"With two laps to go I was in a good position, because I was second and I think I had the potential for the podium but Dovizioso tried to overtake me in the first corner," said Rossi.

"In the first corner I was very strong in braking and unfortunately he arrived in delay, too fast, and I had to go out of the track.

"For me, it was an aggressive overtake. But we saw a lot of those today, a minimum of 25 aggressive overtakes!

"But, for me, it was strategically not very clever. Because I think we both had the potential to arrive on the podium, second and third, and like this we lose a lot and arrive just fourth and fifth.

"So it's a shame, but it's like this."

Told about Rossi's comments, Dovizioso responded:

"At that time, both riders, we would like to exit in front in Turn One.

"But he was outside, so I controlled the brake. He released two times the brake and so I released two times the brake and we went a little bit long [wide]. 

"But I didn't make something crazy, and I stayed on the track.

"For example with Marc and Maverick, they did the same thing but they pushed a bit more and [both] went out of the track. 

"So if I put myself in Valentino's position, I can understand because he lost for sure some positions.

"But I didn’t make something over the limit and I think he did a wrong decision. 

"Because when you are on the outside, to release two times the brake, when on the inside of you there is one of the hardest brakers - I think it is a bad idea at the end of the race…

"This is what happened. I'm sorry for him, but this is the reality."

Rossi, the defending event winner, suffered a major scare in the earlier in the race when he hit the back of Dovizioso's race leading team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.