A bittersweet final lap for Yamaha at the Argentina MotoGP saw Valentino Rossi snatch second position from Andrea Dovizioso, but the celebrations were muted when Franco Morbidelli ran into the back of Maverick Vinales with just a few corners to go.
The pair had been locked in a three-way fight for sixth with Ducati's Danilo Petrucci when Morbidelli's Petronas machine clipped the Monster M1 ahead.
"I was fighting for sixth position when I reached Viñales. I didn't want to try a pass, but I couldn't brake properly due to the double slipstream,"said Morbidelli.
"Maybe it was this - combined with his attempt to cut in to pass Petrucci - that led us both to go down. It was a shame for both of us, but fortunately we are both okay."
@FrankyMorbido12 and @mvkoficial12 crash on the last lap!
The @sepangracing rider touched the back wheel of the factory man and both ended up in the gravel at Turn 7 of Termas #ArgentinaGP pic.twitter.com/rwXtGTCFKT
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 1, 2019
Morbidelli was initially slow to get up after the incident, prompting Vinales to graciously check on the rider that had just ruined his race.
"It was nasty, but I think it was a racing incident," Vinales said.
"I saw the replay. It was the last lap and we all tried to be at our best, so it's just one mistake, and it is what it is. Maybe at the next race I will make the same mistake, it's something you can explain, it's not a problem.
"Franco looked quite bad when I went to stand up so we're lucky we're both OK."
