Johann Zarco, absent since that huge crash at the second start of the Grand Prix of CataloniaHe will receive a two-long suspension penalty upon his return. This decision has certainly raised questions and has shocked many French fans, as he clearly penalized himself heavily with this leg injury. What are we to make of it?
In my opinion, That's perfectly logical and consistentSo, I'm going to try to explain why.
No exception for Johann Zarco
First, let's remember that Zarco isn't the first to have this happen to him. In 2023, Marc Marquez took out Miguel Oliveira in Portugal, injuring him. While Honda tried to help him avoid this penalty, He had still served his sentence upon his return.Last year, the same thing happened to Jorge Martin in Japan. He also got injured and considered his two long laps his last. comeback in Valence.
This is precisely the case with Johann Zarco, so I don't see why he shouldn't also receive a penalty for the same infraction, which, according to the regulations, is specific to the start and the first lap. I appreciate it when race control makes consistent decisions, and That's definitely the case this time.
The act, not the consequence
The most chauvinistic among us might try to argue that he didn't injure another rider – unlike Marc Marquez, for example. Except that doesn't count. While he did get carried away by the slipstream, he directly caused the crashes of Luca Marini and Pecco Bagnaia. In motorsports, We must judge the act, not the consequenceIn 2023, Marquez should have been penalized for the way he collided with Miguel Oliveira, not for the latter's injury. Even better: the consequence should be completely independent of the severity of the penalty. In this sense (the crash), it's generally considered quite fair. We've seen a certain consistency over the past few years, which is nice to see.
However, I struggle to understand the difference between an infraction committed on the first lap and during the rest of the race. Bezzecchi received two long penalty periods for putting Marquez down last year in Indonesia, but if he had done the exact same maneuver three minutes later, he might have only received one. This had been the case for two reckless attacks by Alex Marquez on Fabio Di Giannantonio in Qatar, and on Joan Mir in the Czech Republic.This is undoubtedly put in place to discourage riders from pushing too hard in the early stages, when the pack is tightly bunched, which can indeed lead to very dangerous situations. But if we're going to opt for the right kind of strictness, Why not apply this reasoning to other moments of the race? Seeing an element of the grid take two long laps for an irresponsible attack at any moment of the event would not bother me in the least.
Are there mitigating or aggravating circumstances?
Johann Zarco's situation remains unusual. After Alex Marquez's terrible crash, the Frenchman admitted he shouldn't have taken the second start, so one can question whether he was fit to do so. I have already discussed this at length in another article which I invite you to read by clicking here.
Does this constitute an aggravating or mitigating circumstance? I don't know. A good lawyer could defend him by saying that he wasn't fully in control of his faculties when he started the second race, precisely because the system MotoGP clearly encourages pilots to take this risk, thanks in particular to, due to the absence of a concussion protocol like those found in many other sportsMotoGP allowed Zarco, Di Giannantonio, Raul Fernandez, and Pedro Acosta (those directly impacted by Alex Marquez's crash) to take enormous risks, thus exposing themselves to the possibility of one of them failing.
On the other hand, the opposing party's lawyer would retort that Zarco took the second start fully aware, by his own admission, that he was not able to concentrate and perform a prolonged physical effort lasting several tens of minutesexposing others to great danger.
This is a puzzle that MotoGP should try to solve fairly quickly. before an even more serious accident occurs during a second or third departure.
What do you think of Johann Zarco's penalty? Tell me in the comments!
As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport