Iannone handed penalty after 'over optimistic move'
Race Direction have confirmed a grid penalty and one penalty point as punishment
MOTOGP Race Direction has confirmed that factory Duati rider Andrea Iannone is to be handed one penalty point for the incident in the final turn of the Termas de Rio Hondo race in Argentina.
Iannone's dangerous move on his own Ducati team-mate Andrea Dovizioso in Sunday's race saw both riders in the gravel.
Race Direction put the incident under investigation immediately and have since confirmed that Iannone has been given penalty point and will be demoted three positions on the grid at the end of the qualifying session due to his riding manner.
A statement read: 'On 3rd April 2016 during the last lap of MotoGP race of the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, you overtook rider nr.4, in a way much too optimistic, you lost control of your machine resulting in contact and crash of this rider.'
The incident took place on the final lap of the race, one turn before the finish line. It is clear to see that Iannone attacked Dovizioso on the inside of turn 13 where he then lost the front and low-sided into machine number 4 of Dovizioso.
Speaking about the incident, Iannone expained: 'Even though I didn’t manage to get a good start, I was doing a good race: for sure I could have been quicker in the early stages, but when I changed bikes I started again at a better pace than the riders ahead of me, and I managed to pass Rossi two or three times, until Andrea passed us again on the last lap.
'When I arrived at the penultimate corner, I lost the front and brought down Dovizioso in the crash. Unfortunately that’s the way it went and I am really sorry for my team, for Andrea and for everyone in Ducati because for sure a podium today with both Ducati Team riders would have been an exceptional result.'
Iannone retired, but Dovizioso pushed his bike over the line to finish with 3-points for the standings instead of accepting a 'DNF'.
