Crutchlow: Maverick's not dangerous, we all lose our heads sometimes

Cal Crutchlow explains the pressure and frustration that all riders go through; 'Racing in MotoGP is always a privilege, but we all get frustrated, we all lose our heads sometimes... Maverick's not dangerous'
Maverick Vinales, Austrian MotoGP, 13 August 2021
Maverick Vinales, Austrian MotoGP, 13 August 2021
© Gold and Goose

Maverick Vinales' immediate MotoGP future m🌃ay be hanging in the balance, following his suspens🌌ion by Yamaha on the eve of the Austrian MotoGP, but several riders have sought to put his offence into perspective.

Frustrated at multiple technical issues after last Sunday's restart, following an already fraught season in which he has negotiated an exit from the second year of his Yamaha contract, Vinales appears to have been deliberately over-revving his M1🌞 in the closing laps of the race.

By potentially damaging his engine, Yamaha concluded that Vinales could ha﷽ve caused 'serious risks' to himself and 'pos𓂃sible posed a danger' to the other riders.

Some of Vinales' rivals felt the biggest crime Vinales committed was not so much the potential engine damage, but effectively 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:giving up before the chequered flag.

Vinales, who has remained in Austria as a spectator (pictured), 168澳洲5最🦋新开奖结果:publicly apologised to Yamaha on Saturday:

"I've been through a very frustrating time," Vinales said. "It's been building up and I didn't ♔know how to handle it [in the race]. I really exploded, emotion and frustration. I apologise to Yamaha, I rode wrongly in the last laps. I'm v🎃ery sad. I didn't want to put any rider at risk."

Yamaha test rideꦰr Cal Crutchlow - tipped to replace Vinales for the rem🔴ainder of the year should Yamaha make his current suspension permanent - explained the pressure and frustration that all MotoGP riders go through at times.

"Racing in MotoGP is always a privilege. Because we are privileged to be here, the same as 90% of the paddock will feel, they are privileged to be in the job they are in. The riders are privileged more than anyone, because we have the opportunity to race in MotoGP – obviously I'm retired, but you know what I mean💃, I've had many years of enjoying that," said the Englishman.

"But we all get frustrated. This job is the best job in the world, but the hardes⭕t job in the world,𝕴 and a lot of the time, the pressure comes from yourself. But when it starts to come from people around you, then it makes it ten times worse.

"As a rider, I believe a lot of the time you are your own worst critic. So you have to manage the situation, manage the emotions, and manage the way. But we all lose our heads sometimes, throwing helmets or stuff like that. But not at people, at the situation, that I was not fast enough or whatever."

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