Alex Rins has apologised for his gesture towards a marshal at Mandalika after the incident that followed his Friday crash led, he said, to death threats from fans on social media. The Yamaha rider also said he hoped the marshal had apologised, drawing a line under what he described as an extremely intense situation.

Rins had shown the marshal the middle finger after being told to get on the marshal’s scooter and then being refused a ride back to the paddock. Two other marshals objected to that decision. Rins subsequently spoke to the FIM stewards about the incident, but was not penalised for the gesture.

The 27-lap race was difficult on the sporting side as well. Rins finished 15th, 31.6 seconds behind the leader. He described the Yamaha’s engine braking and traction control as inconsistent throughout the race, while also reporting that the tyres overheated. The bike felt much worse than it had on Friday and Saturday, in a session where Rins noted that the track had changed for everyone.

Rins had wanted to use the soft tyre, particularly after the warm-up, but the team repeatedly advised him against that option. He said he did not regret accepting the team decision because it had been made collectively. His real regret, he explained, was the performance of the bike he had beneath him at Mandalika.