MotoGP to “simplify” startline rules to avoid repeat of Austin chaos

In a bid to avoid a repeat of the chaos that broke out ahead of last month’s Americas Grand Prix, MotoGP teams will meet at Jerez today to discuss updates to race start procedures.

Marc Marquez triggered farcical scenes ahead of the race in Austin when he sprinted from the grid to the pits to change from a ‘wet’ bike to a ‘dry’ machine – less than two minutes before the scheduled start of the warm-up lap.

The Spaniard’s cue was followed by several of his rivals, a chaotic stampede that led race officials to neutralise the start with a red flag.

The decision to call a restart on safety grounds was a get-out-of-jail-free card for all the riders who, like Marquez, had reacted to the fast-drying circuit at such a late stage. Ordinarily, they would have faced a ride-through penalty for their actions.

Meanwhile Ai Ogura, Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder, the only three who had already decided to take a gamble and fit slick tyres on the grid, got no reward as all of their rivals were allowed to complete a bike switch, take up their original grid slots at the restart and serve no punishment.

Ai Ogura was one of the riders who made the right call in Austin

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

After the race, the criticism and discontent piled up, especially after it became abundantly clear that neither the teams nor the riders knew the regulations, which were too complex.

“What happened in Austin was unprecedented, but it will lead us to review parts of the regulations. Mainly to simplify them, so that everyone involved is clear,” said MotoGP race director Mike Webb the week after the event in Texas.

Motorsport.com has learned that revisions to the regulations are already under way and being discussed. During the last race weekend in Qatar, the individual teams met with the International Road-Race Teams’ Association (IRTA) and representatives of MotoGP promoter Dorna to evaluate different options.

One of the options tabled at Losail was that any rider who leaves the grid in the three minutes before the start of the warm-up lap will be penalised with a double long lap penalty. Given the big gains on offer when switching to the correct bike for the conditions, this is likely not harsh enough to be a deterrent.

Motorsport.com understands that the parties involved are trying to change the rules as soon as possible – even before the next stop on the calendar, the French Grand Prix in two weeks. Some even wanted to hold a vote to implement the relevant changes on the spot in Qatar.

However, the teams preferred to take their time to reflect at home before meeting again at Jerez, where they will probably come out with a definitive ruling ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.