Pramac Team Chief Addresses Lack Of Stewards Action After Bastianini And Martin Crash

Pramac team chief Gino Borsoi has revealed the team had discussions with the stewards following the crash during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Jorge Martin (89) of Spain and Prima Pramac Racing and Enea Bastianini (23) of Italy and Ducati Lenovo Team during the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Pramac team boss Gino Borsoi has spoken out following the stewards' controversial decision during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. On the last lap of the race, Enea Bastianini, riding for the factory Ducati team, made contact with championship leader Jorge Martin whilst attempting an overtake. The incident, which occurred at Turn 4, saw both riders breach track limits. However, the stewards elected not to investigate the event and omitted any mention of it in their post-race report.

Borsoi's comments followed discussions with the stewards on why the overtaking move—which many in the racing community deemed to be beyond acceptable limits—went unpunished. Borsoi explained to the media:

“Well, we had some conversations with race direction (the stewards). They say it was ok, the overtake, not over the limit. Well, it is what it is. We know that.”

Bastianini's overtake on Martin pushed the latter off the track and saw Bastianini also crossing the kerbs. Despite these infringements, the stewards decided against any penalties, which Borsoi reiterated:

“For sure, not dramatic.

“It is what it is right now. We are happy because we got the podium, we got again a gap between us and Pecco - and sorry to Pecco [for his crash].

“But anyway, what happened in the last lap is not my task, I’m not part of race direction.

“They decided not to give any penalty to Bastianini and now we learn from that.

The lack of transparency from the stewards has led to different interpretations within the racing community. While some riders viewed the move as fair, notably MotoGP veteran Marc Marquez felt that Bastianini should have been penalized for leaving the track during the overtaking maneuver.

The incident has also opened up discussions about what will be considered acceptable in future races. Borsoi concluded:

“We know that the limit is there and in the future if you need to do something like this on the last lap, you can do it because you are allowed to do it.”

While the Pramac team is relieved to maintain a competitive gap behind Pecco Bagnaia despite the controversy, the incident has raised significant questions about standards and consistency in race officiating.

MotoGP 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Results

1. E. Bastianini
2. J. Martin
3. M. Marquez
4. M. Bezzecchi
5. F. Morbidelli
6. M. Viñales
7. F. Quartararo
8. A. Espargaro
9. A. Marquez
10. M. Oliveira
11. J. Mir
12. L. Marini
13. R. Fernández
14. F. Di Giannantonio
15. J. Zarco
16. J. Miller
17. T. Nakagami
18. A. Fernandez
19. B. Binder
20. F. Bagnaia - DNF
21. P. Acosta - DNF