The causes of the crash were relatively simple, but the fallout is already complex and likely only to grow over the next weeks until Estoril. It all started with the treatment of the two riders as they were picking themselves up out of the gravel. Both men were helped up, the corner workers first tending to Rossi, to ensure that he was not trapped under his bike. Rossi had whipped in the clutch to keep the engine of the Ducati running, but his leg had got caught under the bike. Once the marshals had extricated him from the tangle, Rossi could get back on his bike and get back underway.

Casey Stoner faced a much more difficult task. The Australian had cut the engine on his RC212V, to avoid any damage from the bike running on its side. But the Honda's fancy gearbox requires two pins to be inserted in the clutch to allow the engine to be started. It is possible to bumpstart the engine without these pins, but it is extremely difficult.

What happened next was revealed in a series of photos captured by Andrew Wheeler, who was standing on the inside of Turn 1 when the crash unfolded in front of him. While Rossi was departing, Casey Stoner was picking his bike up out of the gravel, and 6 marshals gathered round the Australian. Five of them started to push him on his way, and over the next few seconds, the marshals melted away one-by-one. By the time the bike was going fast enough to to try and start, there was only one man left pushing the bike, uphill towards the crest leading to Turn 2.

Without sufficient manpower to give him the speed he needed, and the one corner worker forced to work uphill, struggling against gravity, starting Stoner's bike proved to be impossible, a failure which Stoner took very much to heart. Afterwards, he blamed the marshals for a lack of impartiality, rushing to help Rossi, a rider who needed little assistance, while not helping him, who clearly needed help bump-starting the bike.

Stoner's complaint had been echoed earlier by Marco Simoncelli, who had also claimed that corner workers had left him to fend for himself instead of trying to bump-start the bike. But there is a further factor to consider, that by the time Stoner approached the crest of the hill, he was starting to impinge on the racing line. This may have been the reason the marshals retreated, rather than any perceived favoritism for Valentino Rossi.

Ducati crew and @Alex__Briggs sitting in Business class, Yamaha and Honda staff back in economy. Even Italian TV team in economy