Fabio Quartararo took full responsibility for the incident with Aleix Espargaró on lap 5 of the Dutch GP, but was punished with a long lap at the next round in Britain by the panel of commissioners. Yamaha spared no criticism, saying the FIM measures the severity of racing incidents "with inconsistent and subjective standards."
Yamaha spared no criticism of the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) commissioners after the punishment handed down to Fabio Quartararo, who was found guilty of the incident involving Aleix Espargaró on lap 5 of the Dutch GP. Japanese factory director Lin Jarvis said in a statement on Tuesday (28) that everyone in the team was disappointed with what he called the "inequality with which penalties are applied by the MotoGP commissioners' panel".
In the race held last Sunday, the 2022 World Championship leader tried to overtake the Aprilia representative in turn 5 of the Assen circuit, but made a mistake and ended up falling, almost taking Aleix to the ground with him. Both managed to get back on track, but Quartararo suffered damage to his bike and crashed again, abandoning the race for good.
The elder of the Espargaró brothers, on the other hand, fell to 15th and was one of the names of the race, making a recovery race and crossing the finish line in fourth, with a double overtake in the last corner. After the race, Quartararo went personally to the Aprilia pits to apologize, being well received by everyone, but the attitude did not exempt him from being considered guilty. As punishment, the Frenchman will have to serve a long lap in the next round in Great Britain.
MOTOGP STANDINGS
▶️Quartararo makes mistake and loses fat MotoGP lead at Assen
"Fabio Quartararo, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team and Yamaha have always fought for fairness and sportsmanship in MotoGP. We are disappointed to see the inequality with which penalties are applied by the FIM MotoGP panel of commissioners," Jarvis said.
Yamaha's argument is based on two reasons: the first is the track record of #20, who is seen as a clean rider in his contests. "It was an honest mistake without malicious intent," the Japanese defended. The second point is that the severity of the incident "is a matter of conjecture," however much it affected Aleix Espargaró's race.
"While Quartararo admitted to making a mistake in turn 5 of the TT Circuit Assen on lap 5, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP sees it as a racing incident. Quartararo has a reputation as a clean rider with no history of previous incidents. It was an honest mistake with no malicious intent," the team says in the statement. "Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP recognizes that Aleix Espargaró's race was affected, but the severity of the impact is a matter of conjecture. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP feels that the FIM MotoGP panel of commissioners is measuring the severity of racing incidents with inconsistent and subjective standards," it protested.
The text continues, with Yamaha further saying that "the inconsistency with which penalties are applied by the FIM MotoGP commissioners panel during the 2022 season undermines the fairness of MotoGP and faith in the jurisdiction of the commissioners." The manufacturer closes by pointing to "at least three other serious racing incidents that have gone unpunished," even without specifying what they would be.
With the abandonment and Aleix's fourth place, Quartararo's lead is now 21 points. Because of the punishment, the Frenchman will also have to row hard if he doesn't want to leave the next race with his rivals even closer.
Jarvis also said that he considered appealing the commissioners' decision, but it was a type of penalty that was not open to discussion or appeal. "We then wanted to raise the case, as a matter of principle, with the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), but such a situation is also not appealable. It is for these reasons that correct, balanced and consistent decisions must be taken by the commissioners in the first place and executed within the correct and reasonable time frame," the director concluded.
MotoGP is now on vacation and will be back in action on August 7, with the British GP at Silverstone.GRANDE PRÊMIO is following all the activities of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship.