Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo has lost an appeal against a 20-minute penalty, which means he will miss the opening half of Friday’s first free practice session for the Spanish MotoGP.
The Frenchman was given the penalty for breaching MotoGP’s rules on testing, with Quartararo deemed to have used a modified production bike during a test at France’s Paul Ricard circuit last month.
FIM stewards failed to give a precise explanation on how the rule was broken, but stated that the bike used did not comply with the regulations.
Quartararo and his Petronas Yamaha SRT team appealed the decision, but the stewards have upheld the original decision, meaning he will enjoy a shorter practice time if just 25 minutes.
FIM Statement: The appeal is lodged against the decision of the FIM MotoGP Stewards of July 15th 2020, notified to the team, of rider Mr. Fabio Quartararo on July 15th 2020 at 11h55, according to which, the rider Mr. Fabio Quartararo was found to be training at Paul Ricard circuit with a motorcycle specification that did not comply with Art. 1.15.1 of the FIM World Championship Grand Prix regulations.
A hearing was held with MotoGP Stewards to obtain the following information:
• The MotoGP Stewards Notice of Decision
• They explained the basis of their decision was video evidence combined with confirmation from the rider and his manager that Mr. Quartararo used the said motorcycle.
A hearing was held with the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team representative and rider to obtain the following information:
• The rider and team representative explained that this was a mistake from their side and was not intentional to gain a specific benefit. They both confirmed the facts presented and requested a change of penalty.
The Appeal Stewards had a hearing with the MotoGP Stewards and subsequently with rider and a representative from team. The Appeal Stewards see no reason to deviate from the decision as specified by the MotoGP Stewards Panel. The Appeal Stewards confirm the decision.
Moto3’s Sergio Gadea was handed the same penalty for a similar infringement.
How similar is a standard, or mildly modified, road production bike to a prototype MotoGP/Moto3 bike ???