In the case opposing the Moto3 Leopard Racing team to the FIM Stewards MotoGPThe next step seems to be heading towards the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) after the rejection of the appeal made by the Luxembourg team.
After technical inspection, it turned out that the seals of engines #810 and #811 ofAdrian fernandez have been altered.
Recall of facts :
1/ Bad luck!
In fact, following the 2026 French Grand Prix, Honda requested that the seals be removed from the first group of its riders' engines, as these had reached the end of their service life. During the removal of the seals from all the engines, it was discovered that the sealing wires on engine #810 did not conform to the standard wiring procedure. The Technical Director and his staff therefore conducted a more thorough inspection of the engine sealing stickers, which they determined also showed signs of tampering.
Therefore, based on the Technical Director’s findings regarding the seals and the official report from the engine manufacturer, it was established that engine No. 810, which had been used in Thailand, Brazil, the United States and Spain, had been opened without authorization.
In accordance with Article 2.6.3.3.13(c), an engine with damaged, altered or missing security seals is deemed to have been rebuilt and must be treated as a new engine in the pilot allocation.
2/ The situation is getting complicated…
Following the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, some engines were requested from the team so that they could be examined to determine if they complied with the FIM Moto3™ World Championship Regulations.
Once removed, the engines were inspected by the manufacturer to confirm the condition of the seals at the time they were handed over by the team. During this process, it was found that the sealing wires and sealing stickers of engine number 811, used in France and Catalonia, showed signs of tampering.
Engine No. 811 was transported to the next test under the supervision of the Technical Control.
On the morning of Wednesday, June 3, 2026, engine no. 811 was opened by the engine manufacturer for inspection, under the supervision of the Technical Director.
During this procedure, The engine manufacturer identified several anomalies indicating that engine number 811 had been modified. and, therefore, open.
Therefore, based on the Technical Director’s findings regarding the seals and the official report from the engine manufacturer, it was established that engine no. 811 had been opened without authorization.
This constitutes an infringement of Article 2.6.3.3 of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations concerning the durability of Moto3™ category engines, as well as Article 3.3.2.2 (any act of corruption or fraud, or any action detrimental to the interests of the events or the sport, committed by a person or group of persons during an event).
3/ The sanction
Ultimately only finding fault with the broken seals, despite engine number 811 being unfit for any further use due to several components being in a condition incompatible with competition, the FIM MotoGP Stewards summoned the team to Hungary and disqualified the motorcycle.Adrian Fernandez for the six Grand Prix in question.
4/ Leopard Racing appeals
The Leopard Racing team filed a written appeal on June 5, 2026 at 1:25 p.m. with the appeal stewards, accompanied by the appeal deposit of 1,320 euros (IRTA guarantee).
The hearings were held from 15:00 p.m. to 17:45 p.m., in the presence of the Leopard Racing team represented by Christian Lundberg and Didier Lambert, the two FIM appeal stewards, the Technical Director and technical staff (Danny Aldridge and Charlie Kirk), Noriyuki Shimizu mandated by Honda, and the FIM MotoGP Stewards (Simon Crafar, Andres Somolinos, Tamara Matko).
The team was unable to provide a solid explanation regarding the condition of the security seals and the evidence showing that an intrusive intervention had been carried out inside the engine.
The initial disqualification decision was therefore upheld, and the appeal rejected.
5 / Leopard Racing communicates…
Team Leopard cries fouland announces that it has already initiated legal proceedings to defend itself.
"The team respectfully disputes the conclusions reached and confirms that it has already initiated all the procedures provided for by the applicable regulations in order to protect its rights as well as those of its pilot, while evaluating, with its legal counsel, the next steps to be taken.
Leopard Racing has always acted in full compliance with the technical and sporting regulations of the Moto3™ World Championship and firmly rejects any suggestion that an engine has been opened or modified without authorization.
It is also emphasized that technical inspections carried out on four engines revealed no illegal components, no performance-enhancing modifications, no non-compliant parts, and no technical elements contrary to the Moto3™ regulations.
The only possible procedure now is to file an appeal with the CAS
(Court of Arbitration for Sport), an independent organization tasked with resolving sports disputes worldwide.
That's what he had done (unnecessarily) Andrea Iannone in 2020, but the process is lengthy and often confirms the initial decisions…
Meanwhile, the poor man Adrian fernandez only retains the 13 points scored at Mugello, when he was in second place in the championship…
Moto3 Leopard TAS Moto3 Leopard TAS
