Espargaro says Brookes' comments "unacceptable" after Twitter spat

A large number of crashes in a rain-affected Moto2 practice during the Austrian GP weekend led to renewed doubts over whether a wet MotoGP race at the venue would be safe enough.

Rubber laid down by Formula 1 cars in the braking points making the track surface slippery and the proximity of the barriers were both cited as major safety concerns at the Spielberg venue.

Aprilia's Espargaro was among the riders insisting he would not race in the wet at the Red Bull Ring, and his proclamation sparked a heated debate on Twitter involving 2015 British Superbike champion Brookes.

Asked about Brookes' comments after Sunday's race, which took place in the dry, Espargaro said: “I mean, I don't want to make more famous again, this guy. I already made him famous [on Saturday].

“I feel bad because it's been a very very difficult two years, with a lot of accidents, and the most important thing is the safety.”

The Twitter argument was sparked by Brookes first using a dress emoticon as his reaction to Espargaro's refusal to ride in the wet, and then telling the Spaniard: “Don't want to ride? Stand aside and let those who would sacrifice anything to be there to have a go.”

Espargaro responded by tweeting: “In [the] wet I'm fastest than you in [the] dry! So shut up! It's f**king easy to talk when you're [on] the sofa, MotoGP is dangerous but you will never ride it!”

Elaborating further on his comments after the race, Espargaro told the media: “I'm a MotoGP rider, I don't care to race if it's dangerous or not - actually for example in Brno I was one of the first guys to take the slick tyre when the track was still wet - I don't care about this.

“But it's unacceptable that one guy who's racing out of MotoGP says that I'm a p***y because I say that the track is not safe.

“I think it's not fair, and if I have the social media, it's to give my opinion - in the good and in the bad times.”

Espargaro finished the Red Bull Ring race in 13th, recovering from a poor qualifying session that left him starting down in 20th.

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont