Gianni Morbidelli slams “irresponsible move” which ended his Macau weekend

Gianni Morbidelli’s season finale was cut short when Antti Buri tapped him in the back at Mandarin, sending his Honda Civic TCR into the wall and leaving it damaged beyond repair for the second race. The WestCoast Racing driver is very disappointed with Buri’s move.

“That touch was irresponsible”, said the Italian to TouringCarTimes. “We’re going in excess of 200 km/h in that corner, so I think it’s a completely absurd move. I don’t understand the reason why you would hit someone at Mandarin, on the first lap. It just was a bad day, especially knowing that the car had a lot of potential, as Tiago (Monteiro) has proved. That move was simply idiotic. Of course one can try to justify himself, but the thing is that we don’t just risk our cars in Macau, you risk injuries, we’re not playing cards. I’m really disappointed.”

As for his future, the experienced driver is not even completely sure he will continue racing, but if so he would like to stay in the championship: “I believe the only thing I can say safely is that if I continue racing – which is not 100% sure either – then I would surely continue in the TCR International Series. I like it, and it’s the second year in which I have a great start of the season and then I have a series of misfortunes which push me out of the championship battle. If you look at both seasons, they look like the same. There’s some unfinished business here, so I would love to give it another try.”

Morbidelli praised WestCoast Racing, saying he has a very good relationship with the Swedish outfit, and would like to continue with them if possible: “I’ve always had a fantastic relationship with WestCoast Racing, it’s nothing new. I would like to take the opportunity to thank them once again, I feel I never thank them enough because they are a fantastic team. I feel at home with them, and I’ve shared a few happy days with them, but also some very painful moments. Of course if I could choose I would like to stay with them and continue this partnership, because despite the lack of good results we feel good with each other.”

“I’ve raced for several years, and it’s one of those teams who have some determination and skill which I’ve hardly seen before, not just the top personnel, but the mechanics as well, who did some incredible things in some very high-pressure moments. Their skill shocked me at times. Motorsport is about people, they work behind the scenes but they are the ones who allow the drivers to win races, so hat off to them.”