Neil Hodgson was simply left asking ‘what’s he doing?’ after one MotoGP rider caused a ‘silly’ incident in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Thailand which almost ended a rival’s race.
Round 18 of the 20-strong 2024 MotoGP calendar took the premier class back to Buriram. It would not be an easy outing at the Chang International Circuit, either, as rain welcomed the riders to the grid. But the conditions were a nice sight for some as they tried to gain ground.
Red Bull KTM racers Brad Binder and Jack Miller were two of the riders who would relish the rain at the Grand Prix of Thailand. The duo had both qualified poorly this Saturday to start in P13 and P15. But while they stormed through the order, other riders were making mistakes.
Neil Hodgson slams Franco Morbidelli for a ‘silly’ Thai GP crash with Fabio Quartararo
One rider to make a costly mistake in the Grand Prix of Thailand was Franco Morbidelli, with the Pramac rider drawing the wrath of 2003 Superbike world champion Hodgson on just Lap 4 of 26. The Italian also got the eye of the stewards, who instantly launched an investigation.
Morbidelli found himself under investigation on Lap 4 after taking former Yamaha teammate Fabio Quartararo out. The 29-year-old tried an overly ambitious overtake on the 25-year-old as they fought over fifth place. But the move was never on and put Quartararo in the gravel.
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While the Frenchman was able to remount and continue in the Grand Prix of Thailand, how Quartararo’s race unravelled at the hands of Morbidelli frustrated Hodgson. He firmly felt it was ‘silly’ of the Italian to try such a late attempt as it was always bound to result in contact.
“That’s a silly move,” Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (27/10, 08:09). “What’s he doing? You just can’t do that from so far back. That’s just brain fade. That was always going to happen.”
Franco Morbidelli crashed out of the Grand Prix of Thailand all on his own
Morbidelli just avoided the gravel as he drifted wide following the Pramac ace’s contact with Quartararo early in the Grand Prix of Thailand. But the three-time premier class race winner would find the gravel and retired on Lap 8 of 26 after losing the front going through Turn 8.
The incident ended Morbidelli’s recent run of good form, with a season-best P4 in the Grand Prix of Indonesia plus P5s in the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna and Japan plus P6 in Australia last time out. It was also his fifth retirement through 18 rounds since joining Pramac in 2024.
Morbidelli could also only have himself to blame for the incident with Quartararo which saw the 2021 MotoGP champion crash. The Rome native saw a chance to get past his ex-Yamaha partner and jumped into it. But the move came too late for Quartararo to stand his bike up.