The delayed start at the Grand Prix of the Americas has been criticised by Davide Brivio.
Trackhouse Racing Team Manager, Davide Brivio, was left seething after the drama at the start of the Grand Prix of the Americas.
The start to the Grand Prix was delayed due to 'safety concerns'. However, this decision ruined the gamble that Trackhouse Racing rider, Ai Ogura, had taken.
The Japanese rider was one of three riders that decided to use slick tyres for the original start of the race. But with the start being delayed, every other rider followed his lead and switched to slicks.
The delay was caused by several riders sprinting off the grid and back into pit lane, causing chaos moments before the warm-up lap began.
At the time, Brivio raged to the MotoGP world feed, saying: "I’m very upset, to be honest, because that’s not the way to manage a start.
"Because we took a gamble, we took the right decision. When it was time to start, they stopped everything. The riders that left the grid, they left the grid.
"They made the wrong choice. Why didn’t they allow us to start with the right choice?
"Now everything is gone. We took a risk, we took a gamble, we took the right decision and now everything is… well."
What was said after the race?
After the race, his opinion hadn’t changed.
“Of course, we are not happy about the way the start has been managed today because we took a gamble and made the right call with Ai,” he added.
“We were on the right tires, but due to the other riders leaving the grid, the start was delayed.
“We took the risk, we did everything right but we couldn’t take advantage of that.”
Ogura said: "I was on slicks before the start, so that was a big chance but, unfortunately, they delayed the start. I’m so sorry for my guys because they made the right choice but it didn’t pay off. It’s a shame, but it is what it is."
The MotoGP Rookie ended up crossing the line in ninth place as the top Aprilia rider. Ogura is now sixth in the MotoGP World Championship after the opening three rounds of the season.
