Jorge Martin Calls For Rule Change After Austrian MotoGP Penalty

Saajan Jogia | Aug 18, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Jorge Martin (89) of Spain and Prima Pramac Racing rides during the qualifying session for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin has called for a rule change review after he accepted the long lap penalty that took him out of contention for victory in the Austrian MotoGP Sprint. After completing the long lap penalty, Martin fell behind Marc Marquez into third place. However, when the Gresini rider crashed out, Martin was promoted to second.

Starting from pole position, Martin led the race until he engaged in a fierce braking duel with title rival Francesco Bagnaia at the chicane on lap 2. The battle caused Martin's rear wheel to lift off the ground, forcing him to release the brakes and run wide, which resulted in a penalty.

Despite rejoining the track behind Bagnaia, Martin failed to comply with the required 1-second gap relative to his 'average normal time' through that sector, as calculated by Race Control. Consequently, he was penalized with a long lap penalty. Speaking to Motomatters.com about the incident, as reported by Crash.net, he said:

"For sure the regulations are like this, but I thought, ‘OK, I lost time, [because] I was first, now I'm second’. Not because I went wide, I was second because I let him go [ahead].

“[The penalty is] fair, because it's in the regulations. But for sure I think they need to review this rule. Because if you lose time and you let another rider pass in a race you lose the show, you lose a nice battle between two top guys."

Bagnaia, observing how closely Martin trailed him at the end of lap 2, anticipated that the Spaniard would be penalized. He added:

"When the lap finished and I saw that he was 0.3s behind, I said, ‘OK, he will get a penalty’, because he didn't lose 1 second.

“For sure, when you cut a chicane, you are already losing time. But rules are rules and they say that if you cut, you have to give back 1 second, and he didn't.”

Despite injuring himself in a shower accident on Friday night, Martin secured pole position on Saturday. He cut his palm on a sharp metal object while climbing out of the shower, necessitating stitches before he could return to the bike the following morning.

The 26-year-old rider acknowledged that although the injury didn’t greatly affect his qualifying performance, it did cause some discomfort. Nevertheless, claiming pole position bolstered his confidence for Sunday’s race, where he aims to further extend his championship lead.

Speaking to the media about the "difficult morning," he said:

“It was a difficult morning!

“Yesterday I got this cut on my [thumb]. I thought it would be better but this morning it was really painful.

“They stitched me and at least I can ride. Riding is not a big problem, even if it’s disturbing me a little bit.

“But now I feel confident, doing this amazing lap record here. It’s a really nice track for me and my third pole position here, so let’s enjoy it.”