Yamaha boss calls on Race Direction to hold Marquez talks

Yamaha boss Massimo Meregalli believes MotoGP’s Race Direction should speak to world championship leader Marc Marquez about his riding tactics following the recent controversial Jerez race.

But Meregalli doesn’t want the four-member Race Direction to speak to the Repsol Honda rider about his aggressive move on reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo at the last corner of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Marquez seized the point’s lead in the title hunt after snatching second with a hard move on Lorenzo at the final corner on the last lap. There was contact between the Spanish pair and Lorenzo was incensed but Race Direction didn’t impose any penalty on Marquez.

Yamaha management though were more concerned with Marquez’s riding at Turn 6 when on more than one occasion he out-braked himself at the end of the back straight while trying to squeeze by Lorenzo’s factory YZR-M1.

One such occasion was on the last lap when he lunged underneath Lorenzo in the braking zone but ran wide after struggling to hold the line on his RC213V machine.

Meregalli told MCN: “For me that’s racing what happened on the last lap. The door was pretty open and the only thing Marc could do was try, and that’s what he did.

“My personal feeling is that for sure he made a few things during the race that were on the limit, so I hope someone will speak to him because a few things were on the edge.

“There were two or three moments in the braking for Turn 6 that were pretty close to the edge and fortunately he didn’t touch Jorge.

“Maybe they were close to the limit and a bit dangerous. The last corner wasn’t a good action because there was contact, but it was the last corner on the last lap.”

Asked how he expected Lorenzo to respond during this weekend’s French Grand Prix at the historic Le Mans track, Meregalli added: “He is a professional rider and he was upset as you can imagine because when you finish the race you are pretty hot.

“Marc passed him in the last corner and he wasn’t expecting it but I’m not expecting any reaction or action from him. I’m just hoping that Race Direction will speak with him (Marquez).”