Luca Corberi hasn’t done the stereotype of hot-headed Italians any favours, following a total meltdown at the Karting KZ World Championship final in Lonato, Italy, this past Sunday.
The 23-year-old collided with rival Paolo Ippolito on the ninth lap of the 25-lap race, and was forced to retire.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling aggrieved following a collision on the track, and we’ve seen the likes of Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon come close to blows after the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix.
You can add the memorable meltdown from Sebastian Vettel after last year’s Canadian Grand Prix into the mix, but neither of those incidents above involved hurling a bumper at an opponent.
Here’s Corberi losing the plot after the collision:
Corberi and Ippolito were both disqualified from the race over the collision, which was not shown during the race.
Not content with flinging car debris, Corberi then tackled Ippolito in the paddock, with a brawl ensuing.
Pay close attention the first few seconds of the video below, and the top left of the screen:
Things simmer down from the 40-second mark, and it’s mostly just people shouting.
At least when the dust settled, and Corberi had time to think over his actions, he was repentant.
This from Essentially Sports, on his apology statement following the race:
“I’d like to apologize to the motorsport community for what I’ve done. There are no excuses to explain why I’ve done such a disgraceful act,” he said. “This has been something I’ve never done in my 15 years of career, I really hope it won’t be seen by anybody else in the future.
“After the race, once I’ve been called by the sporting judges, I’ve asked them to take my license away because I was fully conscious about my irreparable mistakes.
“But as they showed me, they don’t have the power for doing it. It’s written in the international rules. So please, don’t be against them. They were just doing their work in the best way they could.”
“For this reason, I’ve decided to don’t take part to any other motorsport competition for the rest of my life. That’s not a self-justice, it’s simply the right thing to do.”
Not the way you want to retire from your chosen sport, is it?
Corberi is still under investigation by the FIA, motorsport’s global governing body, and could face further punishment.
[source:essentiallysports]
