MotoGP’s Tyre Pressure Penalty Controversy: Marc Marquez’s Dutch GP Ordeal Sparks Rule Revision Calls

MotoGP's potential penalties for decreased tire pressure during run-offs warrant further examination

Marc Marquez notes: "Recovery takes two laps, and during that time today, my pressure fell below the required minimum."

The tyre-pressure monitoring system in MotoGP has been operational for nearly a year now.

However, concerns had been raised previously regarding the possibility of a competitor being penalized merely for veering off the track or getting back on their bike after a crash. These fears materialized during Sunday's Dutch MotoGP event.

Marc Marquez received a penalty of 16 seconds after the race, moving him down from fourth place to tenth. This was because he did not maintain the minimum front tire pressure of 1.8-bar for at least 60% of the laps during the grand prix.

However, the rider from Gresini Ducati later disclosed that the critical factors were the decrease in heat and pressure resulting from slowing down after Enea Bastianini's overtaking maneuver forced him off the track on the 21st lap out of 26.

"Marquez mentioned, 'I was managing the tyre pressure effectively,'" explaining his strategy to let Fabio di Giannantonio overtake him at the beginning of the race. His plan was to trail behind the VR46 racer, thereby increasing his tyre pressure instead of being at the forefront in the cooler, fresh air.

"I was well within the pressure boundary, yet what took me by surprise was the collision with Enea at the very first turn.

"He forced me off the track, and during that lap, my time was one second slower than usual. I held back from pushing hard in Turn 3 and Turn 5 since it's uncertain how the tires would perform after returning from the runoff area.

"The pressure fell once more, requiring two laps to recover, and those two laps resulted in me falling short of the minimum 60% target today."

The FIM Stewards later informed Marquez that the current rules do not consider such situations, but they mentioned, "It's possible this could change going forward, I believe so. Particularly if someone collides with you and forces you off the track," Marquez stated.

"Given the current regulations, which mandate completing 16 laps (60%) under pressure, we're unable to make any adjustments to the rules. However, with the current motorcycles, experiencing a slowdown of 1 to 1.5 seconds per lap can lead to a reduction in tire pressure by 0.05 bar."

How could the regulations regarding tyre pressure be adjusted to consider these occurrences?

In the most recent episode of the Crash.net MotoGP podcast, MotoGP editor Pete McLaren commented:

Marc acknowledged the verdict, yet he pointed out that he was penalized for a minimal discrepancy, attributing the pivotal change to Bastianini's action. This led to him veering off course, experiencing a delay, and consequently, his tyre temperature decreased and the pressure diminished slightly.

Frankie Carchedi, the crew chief for Marc, had earlier pointed out a specific problem: When a rider goes down or veers off track and then comes back, there's a danger that their tire pressure could drop below the acceptable limit because of the time it takes to regain their pace.

"Action must be taken, especially considering the potential consequences of a light rain causing all riders to slow down by 2-3 seconds per lap. This would likely result in their pressure dropping significantly."

A quick plunge in temperature or a rise in wind speed could potentially disrupt the rhythm and throw off the pre-race tension estimates.

A potential strategy to mitigate the impact of racing accidents or significant shifts in weather conditions could involve approaching tyre pressure similarly to how track boundaries are handled, albeit in the opposite manner!

Therefore, if a rider's speed through a particular sector is substantially below their usual pace, that lap will be excluded from the calculation of pressure percentage.

A mechanism similar to the 105% lap time regulation might be implemented to exclude any exceptionally slow laps from the assessments of pressure.

The counterargument posits, "indeed, all others complied with the law on Sunday."

"However, Marc claims he was handling the stress well and on track to comply with the rules. What he couldn't control or foresee was the incident with Bastianini, where he was pushed off the course."

"Such an incident in racing could definitely recur, hence it's important to examine it from the viewpoint of pressure."

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