Andrea Iannone says Aprilia test rider Bradley Smith, who collided with team-mate Aleix Espargaro on lap one, was “really dangerous” in the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix.
Smith was making his third wildcard race appearance of the 2019 season for Aprilia, and was attempting to move his way up from the last row of the grid when he highsided into Espargaro at Turn 10 on the opening lap.
Espargaro was taken to hospital in Barcelona for checks and was initially diagnosed with bone edema to his left knee – though it has now been confirmed he suffered a double femoral fracture to his leg – while Smith was hit with a three-place grid penalty for his next scheduled wildcard at Brno.
Iannone, who finished a season-best 11th in a highly attritional race, said Smith also made a hard move on him at Turn 4, and expressed “big disappointment” in the British rider’s actions.
“Bradley, I have big disappointment [in] because on the first lap [it] is impossible [that the] test team rider [behaves] like this,” Iannone said of Smith’s collision with Espargaro.
“And [he was] also [aggressive] with me at corner four, really dangerous, and [luckily] I don’t crash.
“But in any case, this is an Aprilia problem, and it’s important that Aprilia resolves this situation, because the test rider is important for us, to help us to improve the bike – not to fight with us [factory riders].
“For sure the race is the race, but [racing is] the priority for the factory riders.
“In any case, I will talk with Romano [Albesiano, Racing Manager] and Massimo Rivola [Aprilia CEO] and it’s important we have a solution for the future.
In a team statement, Rivola highlighted Espargaro’s injury as “the most pressing issue right now”.
Commenting on the incident, Rivola added: “This is undoubtedly a difficult time for us, and Aleix’s injury is the most pressing issue right now.
“He is a supporting pillar of our team, and we hope to see him back in the saddle as soon as possible.
“Even more disappointing is the fact it was Bradley who caused the crash, who is working on developing the bike. These episodes should not occur.”
Espargaro will sit out Monday’s post-race test at the Catalunya circuit, and will undergo more checks on his leg on Tuesday to determine if he can race at Assen or not next weekend.