MotoGP, another Morbidelli mistake: Acosta furious; penalty for the VR46 rider is official

The VR46 rider is at the center of another negative episode that earned him a penalty: here’s what happened today in Germany.

During MotoGP sessions, there are often situations where a rider slows down excessively and ends up impeding one or more colleagues. It shouldn’t happen, especially with experienced riders, but it still does. And, unfortunately, Franco Morbidelli is someone who in recent years has been criticized on more than one occasion for ruining someone’s lap. It happened again at the Sachsenring.

During the afternoon Practice, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 rider was too slow on the racing line and thus impeded Pedro Acosta’s lap. The Red Bull KTM rider was visibly annoyed by the incident, which inevitably went under investigation. The official decision from the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel then arrived: a three-place grid penalty for Morbidelli, to be served in Sunday’s race.

In the 2026 championship, this is the second time the Roman has been punished. It had already happened at the last GP in Assen, when he impeded Enea Bastianini. That also occurred in Pre-Qualifying and resulted in the same penalty handed down today. Morbidelli will need to be more careful in the future.

Following the announcement regarding the VR46 team rider, one also arrived for Diogo Moreira. The Honda LCR rookie received the same type of penalty—3 grid positions to be served on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

Unlike Morbidelli’s case, the Brazilian’s infraction occurred in the final 20 minutes of Pre-Qualifying, and consequently the penalty was applied immediately, even though it’s the first time he has been involved in such an action. The last 20 minutes of the session are considered crucial, therefore they carry greater weight.