Styrian MotoGP, Austria: Crutchlow, Smith think Zarco was going wide
After taking a closer look at the video footage of the Johann Zarco-Franco Moಌrbidelli incident in last Sunday's Austrian MotoGP race, Cal Crutchlow said he has now revised hi๊s opinion.
"I believe that last week, maybe I was a little wrong, because I said it was a racing incident. I do think it is to an extent a racing incident, he [Zarco] never meant to do it. It's not like we mean to hit each other or anything like that," Cr🍷utchlow explained.

After taking a closer look at the video footage of the Johann Zarco-Franco Morbidelli incident in last Sunday's Austrian MotoGP race, Cal Crutchlow said he has🎀 now revised his opinion.
"I believe that last week, maybe I was a little wrong, bec🃏ause I said it was a racing incident. ꧑I do think it is to an extent a racing incident, he [Zarco] never meant to do it. It's not like we mean to hit each other or anything like that," Crutchlow explained.
"But after I saw it a 🌜lot more – unfortunately, because I didn't want to see it, but we need to understand what we can tell the Safety Commission and the people who can help us in the future in regards to the track - he was never stopping for [Turn 3] anyway. There's no way.
"Because if you look at the trajectory of that bike [on the exit of Turn 2], he was already going towards the grass. So he was either going to go on the grass on his own, or he was going to go so tight into the [Turn 3] right hander, he wouldn't have made the corner. He would have just gone straight off the end of the track. Now that's another incident, which co♈uld have been where there's so🔥mebody turning.
"He was a lot to the right-hand side of the black lines of Jack [Miller], a🔯nd Jack was the madman who was sliding around there for the fun and a lot wider than everyone else, if you look at any race.
"So Zarco was a൲ lot to the right of that, and he was at a completely𒁏 different angle with the bike. So I don't believe he would have made the corner."
One of the most terrifying crashes we've EVER seen!!!
— MotoGP (@MotoGP)
Watch the Turn 3 accident from all angles!
Bradley Smith also🌊 felt that Zarco wa📖s going to run wide, due to the tight line he had used to pass Morbidelli on entry to the 300km/h Turn 2.
"The fact that Z♋arco attacked the corner so much on the inside, he was naturally going to go wide anyway. I think the only thing I can say is he didn’t think of the repercussions of his move," said Smith.
"That’s what everyone can agree. ⛄What he initially did was ok. But he did﷽n’t think of the repercussions. The repercussions were he was always going to go wide because he was never going to turn because the Ducati doesn’t turn in that corner.
"The guy he just passed was on the out𓄧side of him. Even if they hadn’t made contact he was going to put Morbidelli in the gravel. In which case it probably could have ended up worse than it actually did.
"As riders, making a move is ok. But you know what’s going to happen has a knock-on effect. And that always makes you decide whethe♔r you are going to go for it or not.
"That’s something that the other riders have clearly brought ꧑up. I’m not in 🧸a position to say anything, it didn’t happen to me. But I agree with what’s being said that repercussions of his actions need to be thought about."
Morbidelli summed it up as: "[Zarco's] approach to the corner was wrong🏅, the overtaking 🌳manoeuvre was wrong and the exiting line was wrong."
The FIM Stewards will anno🌟unce their verdic🌞t on the incident tomorrow (Friday) morning.

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at 𒁃the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.