Martin apologizes, but Rivola erupts: "Not worthy of a world champion"

Massimo Rivola talks about what happened in the MotoGP race in Hungary, severely reprimanding Jorge Martin.

"From the best weekend at Mugello to the worst Sunday. A cold shower, hard to swallow." The Aprilia riders were put under a media blackout; only Massimo Rivola spoke, clearly very bitter about what happened at Turn 1 of the Hungarian GP. Of the five riders who went down, three were from the Veneto brand, and due to a mistake by one of their own, Jorge Martin. The 2024 MotoGP world champion then went to apologize to everyone for what happened, in addition to receiving a double Long Lap for the next GP, but the Aprilia CEO strongly scolded the Spanish rider. Also because Ducati is gratefully thanking him for the big gift, getting much closer in the overall standings...

In the evening, the Aprilia rider also posted a message on social media. "I want to apologize to all my fellow riders involved in the incident that occurred today during the first lap of the race," wrote Jorge Martin. "I lost control of my bike and, unfortunately, this caused a chain-reaction crash that I couldn’t avoid. The most important thing is that, thank God, we are all fine. In situations like this, that’s the only thing that really matters. I am very sorry for the impact this incident may have had on them, on their teams, and on their careers. You never want to be involved in a situation like this. Thank you for all the messages of support, for your understanding, and for the respect you have shown me today."

First of all, he made sure of his riders’ condition, then offered his apologies to all the riders involved in the Turn 1 mess at Balaton Park. In front of the media he then highlighted Jorge Martin’s maneuver. "He made a mistake unworthy of a world champion," the Aprilia CEO said sternly, as reported by Motosan. "He braked too hard, on the inside, at a point with little grip." He also stressed that "It wasn’t a duel; it’s a very different situation. You can’t make certain mistakes at Turn 1, especially at a time when there’s so much talk about safety."

Since Barcelona, it has become a much more prominent topic in the discussions between MotoGP SEG and the various teams. Balaton Park has also been criticized in this regard, and Turn 1 has been flagged multiple times by the riders, both for the asphalt and for the narrow area. "On Sunday, however, you know the track conditions well, so you have to approach Turn 1 more calmly, here and at every circuit," the Aprilia CEO emphasized. "We need to understand how to improve safety, but without overreacting: we must do things properly."

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