The MotoGP teams are meeting in Jerez this Thursday to discuss changes to the start protocol to prevent a repeat of the chaos in Austin
Marc Marquez was the catalyst for the major confusion at the start of the MotoGP race in Austin. The starting grid was already in place and the warm-up lap was due to start in less than two minutes. But then Marquez sprinted to his pit to get on his second bike with dry tires.
The rider from Cervera, Spain, was pursued by half of his competitors in a mass escape that led to chaos, with a crowd running through the pit lane and prompting race officials to neutralize the start with a red flag.
This decision meant that everyone who, like Marquez, should have started the race on rain tires could do so on slicks. At the same time, this angered Ai Ogura, Enea Bastianini, and Brad Binder—the only three who had decided to take a risk from the start and fitted slicks.
Overly complex rules: What is likely to change
After the race, criticism was loud, especially after it became clear that neither the teams nor the riders were familiar with the overly complex regulations. “What happened in Austin is unprecedented, but it will cause us to revise parts of the regulations. Above all, they need to be clearer so that everyone involved is on the same page,” explained race director Mike Webb in the week after the race in Texas.
According to information from Motorsport.com, the revision of the regulations referred to by the race director is already underway. In fact, the various teams met with the team association (IRTA) and representatives of the promoter (Dorna) during the recent Grand Prix in Qatar to evaluate various options.
One of the options on the table was that any rider who leaves their starting position in the three minutes before the start of the warm-up lap would be penalized with a double long-lap penalty – a sanction that is not considered very deterrent.
Agreement already reached during the MotoGP weekend in Jerez?
It can be assumed that those involved will try to change the rules as quickly as possible, before the next round of the calendar, which takes place in Le Mans in two weeks.
Already in Lusail, some of those involved called for a vote on the immediate implementation of the relevant changes. However, the teams preferred to take their time to consider the matter and meet again in Jerez, where a final decision is likely to be made.
