Jack Miller and Enea Bastianini debate the blame for Mandalika practice crash
The KTM rider fell twice during Friday practice at Mandalika but was still ninth-fastest, with Aleix Espargaro topping the timesheets.
Miller’s session was punctuated by his fall when he caught Bastianini, who was moving slowly and, at one stage, held his hand in the air. Miller clambered back onto his feet in the gravel and gesticulated angrily at Bastianini but later accepted the blame.
Asked if Bastianini did everything possible to avoid the incident, Miller replied: "No, definitely not.
"I had Vini in front of me. He held Vini up at the corner before.
"Then decided to park on the apex at the next corner…
"It wasn’t ideal. That early in the session, I probably could have avoided it. But anyway, I was on a decent lap and was in the rhythm."
Bastianini responded to the crash: "I don’t know. I put my hand up because I had a problem with the throttle.
"Jack crashed without me.
"I was on another line. I don’t know…"
Miller: She said 'no more' once I got to the apex
Miller said about his next fall on Friday: “The second one was my fault. I was struggling all session, a little bit, to stop the bike at Turn 1, to control the speed.
“The first flying lap was my best one. I was a little bit long, there, and missed the apex.
“Then because I was coming in a little bit fast, I released. I said: ‘Okay, next one, I will try to commit and really force the bike at the apex’.
“She said ‘no more’ once I got to the apex.
“Anyway, the bike is working well. We have really good drive, really good grip, on the rear. It’s just about playing with the balance and getting some of the grip to the front end.”
Bastianini 'destroyed mentally'
Bastianini returned to action at Mandalika from hand and ankle fractures, the latest comeback in an injury-ravaged first year as a factory Ducati rider.
He crashed out of Friday practice leaving him 20th on the timesheet, ahead of only Alex Rins.
"I am destroyed mentally," he said in reference to being fatigued after Friday. "In the end, I am okay. I haven’t got a lot of pain in my hand, and my foot is okay.
"I was fast from the start. In FP2, a little less. Crash-apart, I am happy.
"I crashed in the out-lap. I don’t understand what happened. I was a little tired at the end of the session.
"Lap by lap I was competitive. It was good. With the soft tyres, my lap time was the same. This is strange, we have to try again tomorrow, we have to understand the tyre better.
"The only difference to the bike was the front tyre."
Asked if he was confident in completing the weekend, Bastianini said: "Next question! I don’t know! I hope I can do this. I don’t know if I can do great laps for the whole race. Probably yes but it’s not guaranteed."
