Raul Fernandez’s Indonesian Grand Prix Sprint was over at the first corner, only hours after the Trackhouse rider had secured his maiden MotoGP pole position. He collided with factory Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi after the opening pack compressed under braking, ending Fernandez’s attempt to convert that qualifying advantage into a potential Sprint victory.

The incident developed when Fabio Di Giannantonio pushed Marc Marquez slightly wide on the inside. Bezzecchi was forced to check his line, and Fernandez was unable to avoid contact. Trackhouse team boss Davide Brivio blamed Marquez and Jorge Martin for causing the crash, while the FIM stewards classified it as a racing incident.

Fernandez’s Sunday start is uncertain

Fernandez said afterwards that he had suffered a small fracture in a finger on his hand. He had been declared fit to ride, but reported that the hand was heavily swollen and planned to assess it in the following morning’s warm-up. That left his participation in the Indonesian Grand Prix in doubt.

His anger was aimed chiefly at Bezzecchi. Fernandez argued that both riders reached the first braking point knowing they were on Aprilias with strong pace, but that Bezzecchi concentrated on arriving first and pushed him beyond the kerb. Fernandez said the move also left the door open for “two Ducatis” and described Bezzecchi’s conduct as “not professional”, while stressing how badly the outcome affected his team and Aprilia.

The clash came against the backdrop of the championship fight involving Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi. Fernandez said there were no team orders among the Aprilia riders for now, but that the instruction before the Sprint had been not to interfere with one another because the bikes had very good pace. He added that he had explained his intended approach before the race, a comment he linked to the force of the contact that left him feeling briefly knocked out.