Petrucci earns three-place grid penalty for Laverty crash
Danilo Petrucci has been awarded a three-place grid penalty for the next MotoGP race in Brno for causing Eugene Laverty to crash on the final lap of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Petrucci and Laverty - who ride for the Pramac and Aspar Ducati teams respectively - were fighting over 11th place on the final lap of the Red Bull Ring when they made contact at the last corner.
While Petrucci continued to finish 11th, Laverty was knocked off his bike and failed to finish.
MotoGP stewards deemed the Italian guilty of "irresponsible riding, causing a crash", adding: "He will be penalised with 3 grid positions in the next race and 1 penalty point."
Laverty slams "stupid" Petrucci
For his part, Laverty was furious with Petrucci's on-track behaviour, highlighting that the Italian had nearly caused him to crash earlier on the final lap at Turn 3.
"Danilo was so stupid," fumed Laverty. "He passed me on the penultimate lap but I got back past at Turn 1, then at Turn 3 he came from nowhere.
"I was on the racing line and he was on the inside, like a T-bone. We didn’t crash and I passed him again at Turn 4-5, then the last corner was crazy.
"He came again on the inside and I didn’t even know he was there until I was on the ground because he hit me so hard. He’ll probably get excluded because those two moves were absolutely crazy.
"There’s no MotoGP bike in the world with enough steering lock that would’ve let you make the turn. I’ve seen him do it with other riders.
"You don’t come on the inside and meet at a right angle: that’s how you break another rider’s finger or their collarbone."
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