The Grand Prix Commission has announced the introduction of a new penalty, effective immediately
The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, President), Paul Duparc (FIM), Hervé Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA), took the following decision in an electronic meeting held on March 1, 2019:
Long Lap Penalty
When FIM MotoGP™ stewards impose a penalty on a rider for changing position, crossing track limits or for any other reason, it may be unfair (depending on whether a rider is close to the others or not). ) and this is also difficult to monitor when there are multiple violations. In order to make the penalty more fair and verifiable, the Grand Prix Commission, after consulting the Safety Commission, agreed to introduce a new “Long Lap Penalty”.
On each circuit, a route will be set and marked to a safe point around the track (usually an area of asphalt on the outside of a corner), and which is a few seconds slower than the normal racing line. The penalized driver must cross the defined zone within 3 laps following the notification, thus suffering a penalty equivalent to several seconds, (typically 2 seconds or more), during this lap. Procedures will be put in place to allow marshals to use an equivalent time penalty in the event the rider is unable to complete the long lap, (for example in the event of a red flag race). This penalty will be added to the list of sanctions available to FIM MotoGP stewards, and although it is primarily intended for infractions relating to track limits, it may be used in any circumstances deemed appropriate by the stewards. The penalty of returning a place will continue to be made available to the commissioners.
Source and photo credit: MotoGP.com
