Aleix Espargaro has chastised his friend and fellow MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo for his non-attendance of the series’ safety commission meetings, after the reigning world champion suggested the regularly-scheduled get-togethers were not worth coming to due to series bosses’ inaction on key issues raised by him and others in the past.
Apparent rider disinterest in safety commission meetings has been a hot topic in recent weeks after only a third of the grid attended the Malaysian Grand Prix meeting to discuss the lack of red flags for Jorge Navarro’s Moto2 crash in Australia.
The seriously-injured Navarro had spent two laps sat at the trackside, unable to receive medical treatment as the race continued around him.
Ahead of the Valencia finale this weekend, Quartararo laid out his reasoning for his not attending most of this year’s meetings.
“I’ve been one time [this year] and I decided not to go anymore,” said the Yamaha rider.
“We are not [listened to]. A few times like the red flag incident in Australia – many times.
“In 2020, when the big crash happened in Austria, we asked for something, because we didn’t want to race there again like this – and in 2021 we had two races there [before a chicane was added for 2022].
“I have nothing against it, I’m just not really going.”
But with Espargaro among the most vocal safety advocates on the grid, he suggested that it was hypocritical of Quartararo to complain without attending.
“I don’t like it, and I’ve said this to him,” Espargaro admitted.
“He is the world champion. You cannot complain later [if you don’t go].”
And while Espargaro also conceded that sometimes the changes riders push for aren’t acted upon, he said better rider attendance would make a stronger case for pushing through much-needed improvements.
“I half agree with him,” Espargaro added, “and it’s true that sometimes we’re asking for many things: for example, we’ve just been talking about Phillip Island, to add some asphalt in some places for three years and nothing has happened yet.
“But in other places, yes, in other things where we talk they’ve listened and tried to learn.
“Sometimes not even all the riders in the safety commission have the same opinion, so how can they follow one opinion? But they do their best.
“I was very disappointed when I saw the safety commission of Malaysia. Everyone is free to go, and I think it is [would be] a mistake to make it mandatory, because everyone should want to go there, to feel comfortable to bring their opinion to this situation.
“And if you don’t, it’s better not to come. But you miss something.”
