MotoGP chaos in Hungary, another crash at the start: a 'push' toward a revamped grid?

Multiple crash at the start of the Hungarian GP, five MotoGP riders out immediately. And the issue of start safety is back in the spotlight.

Another incident at Turn 1, this time at the start of the MotoGP race in Hungary. The two factory Aprilias, Di Giannantonio, Fernandez and Aldeguer were out right away: a botched inside braking move, Jorge Martin’s #89 RS-GP getting out of control, and an inevitable pile-up with all the riders in the corner at that moment. The chills from Barcelona are still fresh, but fortunately this time there don’t seem to be any serious consequences for the riders, except for Jorge Martin heading to the Medical Center for what is (hopefully) a precautionary check. And the idea of a revamped starting grid is back on the table, with rows of only two riders instead of the current three.

Let’s remember that Jorge Martin had just said in recent days that he’s having braking issues with the Aprilia. Unfortunately we got the worst possible proof of that today... It’s undeniable that the current premier-class bikes, extremely powerful and laden with components—from aerodynamics to ride-height devices—are a bit more dangerous, especially when the start/finish straights aren’t very long. We mentioned the Barcelona crash involving Bagnaia, Marini and Zarco, but over the years there have been many examples of first-corner crashes in Grands Prix, and not only in MotoGP.

That Catalan round, however, seems to have rattled people the most, to the point that MotoGP SEG and all the riders have discussed various solutions to try to ensure greater safety. One measure that teams didn’t mind is the idea of a starting grid with two riders per row, Formula 1-style, to guarantee more space between bikes and thus try to reduce some risk. Obviously it will be impossible to eliminate all danger, but they’re studying ways to avoid some of it. We’ll see if the F1-like grid gets approved and introduced, and especially if it serves its purpose.

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