Marquez sanction finally overturned

In a drawn-out saga that dates back to March, it was declared in May that Marc Marquez was finally free to ride for the remainder of the FIM MotoGP World Championship season without having to serve a double long lap penalty for aggressive riding.

The original penalty was imposed following an incident at the Portuguese round where Marquez crashed into Miguel Oliveira and Jorge Martin early in the race. All three riders were injured as a result of the crash, which Marquez admitted was his mistake.

Marquez’s punishment for “irresponsible riding causing danger” was a double long lap penalty, to be served at the next round’s full race (not a sprint race), which was the Argentine GP, but when the Spaniard did not ride in Argentina due to his injury, the shenanigans began.

In a statement released by the MotoGP Court of Appeal, it reveals that Marquez was told in a meeting with FIM stewards on 26 March that if he did not ride at the Argentine GP, the sanction would be considered served and would not roll over to the next full race in which he participated.

However, on 28 March, the FIM Stewards Panel issued a notice stating that Marquez’s double long lap penalty still applied and would need to be served at the next full race. As this went against the verbal agreement from two days earlier, Marquez and Repsol Honda filed an appeal against the new decision. Due to “legal issues” raised in the appeal, the FIM Stewards Panel then referred the matter to the MotoGP Court of Appeal.

While this was being resolved, a ‘Penalties Protocol’ statement from the FIM stewards reiterated the original position – that any penalties imposed on a rider would apply to the next round. If the rider did not participate in that round, the sanction was considered to have been served, as missing a race through illness or injury is considered a bigger penalty. However, the wording of the statement makes it unclear, as it refers to ‘subsequent and unrelated illness or injury’ that prevents a rider from participating at the next round, suggesting any injury as a result of the incident that led to the sanction would not be covered by missing the next race.

On 12 April, the MotoGP Court of Appeal announced a stay of execution for Marquez’s sanction, with the appellants (FIM Stewards) declaring on 17 April that they did not consider it necessary to hold a hearing on the matter, which the Court confirmed on 2 May.

Ultimately, the MotoGP Court of Appeal announced on 9 May that the sanction imposed on Marc Marquez had been annulled, meaning he would not have to serve the double long lap penalty at all. The final decision was not an admission of Marquez’s innocence in the Portimao incident; more a reflection of procedural errors and the conduct of the FIM Stewards in this particular case.