Intentional collision in MotoGP? Judge for yourself
- GPblog.com
No Formula 1 this weekend, but the second MotoGP race of the season was held in Qatar. The first two races in the desert were a prelude to an equally exciting season as last year. And that wasn't without controversy!
The 2020 MotoGP season will go down as one of the most interesting seasons of this century, as well as setting an example for other racing classes in terms of the competitiveness of the field. Nine different riders for four different brands won a Grand Prix, with Joan Mir for Suzuki ultimately becoming World Champion with just one win.
2021 looks to continue on the same footing for now. Although the first two races were won by Yamaha, they were neatly split between teammates Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo. The lead in the championship is now in the hands of Johann Zarco, who rides for a Ducati customer team.
Hard fought battle between Mir and Miller
The talk of the town after the second race in Doha was the battle between world champion Mir and Ducati rider Jack Miller. The Ducati was so fast on the long straight that Mir had to take a number of risks in the twisty section to overtake the Australian. He succeeded, but not without a struggle.
Miller was clearly not amused by this aggressive manouvre, and pushes Mir over on the straight. Miller doesn't want to talk about it (and neither do the race stewards), but Mir suspects he deliberately made contact with him. It looked dangerous on TV, and it reminds us of the famous battle between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi 20 years ago.