Johann Zarco will start his next MotoGP contest from pit-lane after being penalised for his part in the incident between him and Franco Morbidelli in the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend.
The duo came together entering the braking zone for the tight Turn 3 right hander during last weeks encounter, causing both to go down heavily at roughly 300kmh.
The pair’s now out-of-control MotoGP machines then careered across the infield before barrelling across Turn 3 just as Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales were tackling the bend, the bikes missing them by inches.
Zarco came under fire by Rossi for his part in the crash following the incident, while Morbidelli reckoned the Avintia rider should receive a “strong sanction”.
The Zarco-Morbdelli incident was looked at by the MotoGP stewards on Thursday ahead of the Styrian GP, with an announcement on Zarco’s pit-lane start-penalty being released just after FP1 at the Red Bull Ring concluded on Friday morning.
Zarco’s participation in the Styrian GP event remains in doubt after undergoing surgery for a fractured scaphoid as a result of the crash, the Frenchman due for a medical examination on Friday afternoon to determine whether he can rejoin the action on Saturday.
Should he fail to start the Styrian GP his penalty will be rolled over to the next race he enters, most likely the San Marino GP at Misano in three weeks time.
Two further incidents that took place during the Austrian GP were also looked at by the stewards, with Danilo Petrucci given an official written warning for making several rude gestures at Aleix Espargaro after the Aprilia racer held up the Ducati man during qualifying on Saturday.
The second incident looked at was the crash between KTM stable-mates Pol Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira that ended both their races.
The stewards judged the clash to be a racing incident, meaning no further action was brought against either rider.
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