David Alonso has launched a scathing attack on Aspar Moto2 team-mate Dani Holdago upon his arrival at Phillip Island ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
There have been numerous incidents between the pair since they began sharing the Aspar garage, but it appeared that what happened two weeks ago at the Moto2 race in Indonesia was the final straw that severed their relationship.
Alonso’s race in Mandalika came to an end after the very first corner after Holgado made light contact with the rear wheel of his bike – but just enough to knock him off and ruin his performance.
The #80 Kalex was damaged enough that it had to be repaired on his side of the pit lane, which prevented him from rejoining the race when it resumed following the red flag. Alonso also left Mandalika with a pulmonary contusion.
Holgado, for his part, was much luckier in the incident, despite being the one who caused it. Firstly, The stewards did not consider the incident serious enough to penalise him. Secondly, he suffered no physical injury and his bike was not beyond repair, meaning he was able to rejoin the race from his original grid position. This saw him finish on the podium in third place, behind Izan Guevara and Manu Gonzalez.
On Thursday, Alonso was asked by Spanish broadcast DAZN about what had happened in Indonesia with his team-mate. In his response, the Spanish-Colombian rider launched a scathing attack on Holgado, stating that he is "not a good person" and making it clear that the relationship between the two is completely broken.
“I’m fine physically now. I’ve done a great job with my physio at home, and I’ve recovered – I’m ready for Australia,” he began, before harshly criticising the rider from Sant Vicent del Raspeig.
“The incident with Holgado seemed to me just like the previous ones. But, in the end, life is beautiful and you have to move on. When someone isn’t a good person, there’s nothing you can do. I’ll carry on with my own thing, and he’ll carry on with his, and that’s that.”
“There’s no relationship whatsoever, there’s no chemistry in the team, and it’s not a team. The incident is the least of it. Did someone knock me over? This is racing; one time they might knock you over, another time I might knock someone over – that’s the least of it.
"There’s much more to it than that; I’m simply carrying on my way – there’s no point wasting time on people who aren’t worth it."
Holgado responds
Dani Holgado, CFMOTO Aspar Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Holgado had the chance to respond to Alonso. DAZN asked the Valencian about his team-mate’s harsh comments, but he took a more politically correct line, insisting they still remain on good terms.
“Unfortunately, things like this happen in this sport. I was taken out myself at Misano. But anyway, you always have to stay humble. One day you do it, another day it’s done to you. I think it’s important to handle these moments well," he said.
"I’ve already apologised, because I ruined Alonso’s race at the first corner, and that’s something you never want to do – not even to yourself, because I crashed at that moment – nor cause other riders to crash.
“At the end of the day, I have a great deal of respect for all my rivals, because we’re risking our lives every time we go out on track, all to put on a show for the fans as well. And well, sometimes these things happen.
"But I do understand it a bit; when these things happen, in the heat of the moment, you say things without thinking, things that just come out. But anyway, I have a good relationship with him; we’ve always had one, and I don’t know, I just mind my own business. I say hello to him without any problem, and it’s the same within the team.”
When asked about what Alonso said regarding there being no internal rapport at Aspar, Holgado explained: “It’s normal; we’ve only been in Australia for two days and we haven’t discussed the matter. I’d like to discuss it, because I’ve got no problem with it, and I think we’re old enough to talk about these things.
"But anyway, I’m sure we’ll talk about it in the future. I’m not letting it bother me; these things happen – it’s pure and simple rivalry, and that’s part of the sport,” he concluded.
Alonso aims to build a new family at LCR
Alonso also spoke at length about his move to LCR in MotoGP for 2027, after being overlooked in favour of Diogo Moreira for a direct promotion to Honda's factory squad.
The young talent believes the Monegasque-flagged LCR team is one of the best for making the leap to the premier class, and hopes to build a family there.
“I’m really happy, because it’s now official. I really liked the video they made to announce it. I’ve got to know Lucio Cecchinello and the press officer a bit; I’ve still got to meet more people, but I’ve been told that everyone at LCR is very friendly.
"I think it’s a great place to start out in MotoGP, to build a new family. I’m really excited, and I can see the excitement in their eyes too. So I think it’s the right choice.”
“I think it’s perfect, because on the technical side we’ll have the same equipment as the factory team, and I’ll be taking a bit of a back seat, which I think will suit me well for what will be my first year in MotoGP. Given everything I’ve got to learn, it’s the perfect team."
Like Alonso, Holdago will also graduate to MotoGP next year, racing for Gresini alongside 2020 champion Joan Mir.