Manu Gonzalez has emerged from the controversy of the week and apologized for what happened in the last Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix. Before the race, which he ended up winning in a very intelligent way, thanks to the choice to start on slicks on a damp track, the Spaniard showed off a “hachimaki”, the hair band typical of the Japanese country and which many identify almost immediately with their culture.
Although the Gresini Racing driver’s gesture was harmless and simply linked to a cultural association, it angered the Italian team’s main sponsor, QJMotor. The Chinese company argued that it is a particularly offensive symbol for its people, as it is intrinsically associated with the Japanese army and the Second World War, the historical event in which Japan invaded China.
“Recently, at the Japanese GP, the QJMOTOR team won the race with an outstanding performance. However, a very discordant scene occurred: Manu Gonzalez, driver of the Gresini team, was invited by the organizers before the start of the race and privately wore the host country’s ‘Bojumaki’ decoration and spread it on his social networks,” they explained in a statement.
“Although it was an unintentional act, as he was a European rider and did not understand Chinese history, this behavior hurt the national feelings of Chinese riders and the Chinese people. After the accident, Qianjiang Motorcycle immediately conducted negotiations with its team partner, Gresini, demanding that these images and videos be immediately removed and that the team immediately cease its collaboration with the rider,” they continued.
Faced with this move, Manu Gonzalez chose to apologize on Saturday. In a message published on his social networks, the Spaniard defended that he had done so without bad faith, maintaining that, obviously, the gesture had no political connotation.
“I am writing this post to apologize to anyone in China who felt offended by some of my photos on the starting grid of the Japanese Grand Prix. It was not intended to be a political message, they were photos relating to the host country of the race”, began the Supersport 300 world champion.
“It was never my intention to disrespect or hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, it was reckless and inadvertent, and I regret it. Once again, I am very sorry and sincerely hope that I can be forgiven and be able to count on your support. Thank you,” he concluded.
Gonzalez hopes this doesn’t affect his future before the end of the year. It’s worth noting that there are only four rounds left, in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Valencia, before the end of the Moto2 season. For 2025, the 22-year-old will move from Gresini Racing to Intact GP, where he will replace Darryn Binder. The South African will take his place in Nadia Padovani’s team.
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