Delayed red flags and controversial penalties: MotoGP deserves better

The MotoGP season opener brings the premier class back on track with a tail of controversy and discordant notes that cannot go unnoticed. Incidents that marred a weekend which saw a spectator boom at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, amid questionable episodes and some serious decisions made on the fly.

The weekend opened with the now well-known decision by the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel to penalize Marc Marquez with a “Drop 1 position,” deemed responsible for causing the contact and subsequent off-track excursion of Pedro Acosta during the Sprint. An outcome that left a bitter taste, as the penalty brought a fundamental issue back to the forefront: inconsistency in judgment. There have been dozens of “Marquez-Acosta–style” incidents without any penalty whatsoever. Once a standard of judgment is set, it must be applied. The problem is there’s no uniformity in this regard.

If the penalties handed down by the Stewards Panel fall, if you will, into the realm of opinion, what happened in Moto2 can only leave one baffled. The two incidents that led to the red flag being shown were handled in a highly questionable manner by race direction. Two delayed stoppages: the first red flag, following the crash that unfortunately involved David Alonso, came after 1 minute and 20 seconds. The next one, for the smash between Sergio Garcia and Luca Lunetta, after 1 minute and 21 seconds. Too late, when the lead group was approaching the section where riders were being assisted and on stretchers. The second one, in particular, with the front-runners arriving at turn 3 after the longest straight on the track.

Thinking ill of it may be a sin, but often you’re right. The delayed red flags, regardless of any justification, clearly seem aimed at avoiding interruptions and potential delays to MotoGP’s pre-race (understood as the “show”). It’s not the first time, moreover: a dangerous precedent at Assen 2025 in Moto3, with the red flag essentially waved after a lap while the riders were about to tackle the final chicane, arriving near the medical assistance for the unfortunate Luca Lunetta. A string of episodes that leave one perplexed, especially when (publicly) those responsible speak profusely about safety and great sensitivity on the matter.