Jorge Martin Challenges MotoGP Regulations After Accepting Fair Long Lap Penalty in Austria Sprint

Jorge Martin calls for a "review" of the regulation following his long lap penalty in Austria

Jorge Martin acknowledges that the long lap Sprint penalty was 'justified'

Jorge Martin acknowledged the long lap penalty that caused him to fall out of contention for the win early in the Austrian MotoGP Sprint, but believes that 'this rule needs to be reassessed'.

During the second lap of the Saturday race, the Pramac Ducati rider was leading when he got into a braking duel with his championship competitor, Francesco Bagnaia, as they sped towards the chicane.

Martin's back wheel lifted off the ground, making him let go of the brakes and swerve outwards.

Despite re-entering the track behind Bagnaia, Martin failed to yield the necessary 1-second (compared to his 'average normal time' in that sector 'as determined by Race Control'), resulting in a long lap penalty.

Dorna explained that the average time for each rider is "calculated from the same race," excluding the first lap, "which is the reason for the delay before Martin received the long lap penalty."

"The one-second penalty they need to serve is determined by the difference between their sector time when they took a shortcut and the average sector time recorded in that session."

The segment where they need to drop one second is determined so that they can go through at least one intermediate timing point. This way, they can view a split time on their dashboard, indicating how much time they've lost or gained, and still have a window before the following timing point to lose the required time.

According to Motomatters.com, Martin expressed that although the rules are clear, he believed, "I lost time since I was initially in the lead and then dropped to second place. It wasn't due to going off track; I ended up in second because I allowed him to pass me."

"The penalty is justified since it's stated in the rules. However, I believe this regulation should be reconsidered."

"If you waste time and allow another competitor to overtake you during a race, you miss out on the excitement and a thrilling contest between two leading athletes."

As soon as the current titleholder Bagnaia noticed Martin's proximity at the conclusion of the second lap, he was certain the Spaniard would be penalized.

After the lap was completed and I noticed that he was 0.3 seconds behind, I thought to myself, ‘Alright, he will be penalized,’ because he didn't lose a full second,” the current two-time champion clarified.

"Absolutely, when you bypass a chicane, you're already at a time disadvantage. However, the regulations clearly state that if you do so, you must concede a second, which he failed to do."

During the 8th lap of a 14-lap race, Martin took a penalty, which set him back by approximately 4 seconds and placed him behind Marc Marquez. However, he managed to reclaim second position after the Gresini rider had an accident and exited the race

On Saturday, Bagnaia and Martin found themselves tied in the MotoGP championship standings.

However, during the grand prix on Sunday, Bagnaia secured yet another win, with Martin once more finishing in second place. As a result, the defending champion departed Austria holding a five-point advantage in the standings.

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