This is perhaps the epilogue of a series of twists and turns that began with the checkered flag of the Grand Prix of Qatar drop. Four manufacturers, Aprilia, KTM, Honda and Suzuki, filed a complaint against Ducati who had installed a deflector under the swingarm of their GP19. The verdict is in and it’s a victory for Ducati.
Here is the verdict (Paddock-GP translation):
During the season-opening MotoGP race in Qatar on March 10, 2019, technical protests regarding the use of a device on the Ducati machine were lodged with the FIM MotoGP stewards by Team Suzuki Ecstar against Jack Miller (Ducati), by Repsol Honda against Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), by the Red Bull KTM Factory team and by the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini against Danilo Petrucci (Ducati).
The protesting teams considered that the device was above all an aerodynamic device and therefore did not comply with MotoGP technical regulations.
After a hearing, all four claims were dismissed. The same four teams then appealed the MotoGP Stewards' decision to the MotoGP Stewards and a further hearing was held. The MotoGP appeal commissioners determined that further technical assessment was necessary and that this was not possible in the circumstances. They therefore decided to take the case to the MotoGP Court of Appeal in accordance with art. 3.3.3.2 of the applicable regulations.
Following a hearing in Mies on Friday March 22, the MotoGP Court of Appeal delivered its decision today March 26 and the parties (the four appellants, Ducati and the FIM) have been duly notified. For these reasons, the MotoGP Court of Appeal decides that:
The appeals filed by the Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda and KTM teams are admissible.
The provisional race results are confirmed and declared as final.
The request to declare the device illegal and ban its use in future races is rejected.
Pursuant to article 3.9 of the 2019 FIM World Championship Grand Prix Regulations, an appeal against this decision may be made to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne (Switzerland) within 5 days.
