Several MotoGP teams and riders were at a loss to understand why Fabio Quartararo was given a swift in-race penalty for light contact with Lorenzo Savadori, while Jorge Martin went unpunished until late in the evening.
Martin was widely viewed to have been at fault for a first corner pile-up involving six other riders.
The incident left title contender Marco Bezzecchi, plus Johann Zarco and Miguel Oliveira on the ground and, ultimately, out of the race.
Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini remained on two wheels but dropped to the back of the field.
First corner drama!
Just a few seconds after lights out we saw a crazy multi-rider incident that ended Bez, @JohannZarco1 and @_moliveira88’s race #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/FTyScb3gbW— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) August 19, 2023
Martin emerged from the first corner in sixth and was later involved in further controversy when Bezzecchi’s team-mate Luca Marini crashed as he was overtaken by the Pramac Ducati rider, for third place.
The FIM Stewards soon ruled that Marini’s fall was a racing incident, a verdict most, including Marini, agreed with.
However, the Stewards handed Quartararo a quick, in-race, long lap penalty for ‘irresponsible riding’ after similar light contact while passing Lorenzo Savadori ended in a fall for the Aprilia wild-card.
“It’s difficult for us to understand why Fabio’s action was penalised when a similar incident by Martin wasn’t,” said Monster Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli.
Martin was allowed to complete the race in third, without a decision being made on the Turn 1 incident.
As the hours passed without any news from the Stewards, many riders and teams were under the belief that Martin would not receive any punishment at all.
However, at 7pm, the Stewards announced the Spaniard had been given a long lap penalty for Sunday’s race for ‘riding in an irresponsible manner causing a crash’ (at Turn 1).
Marini: “Strange what happened. The Stewards didn’t take any decision”
The lengthy delay in deciding Martin’s Turn 1 guilt had consequences for Marini.
The Italian pointed out that if Martin had been promptly punished – in the same way as Quartararo for Savadori – their paths would not even have crossed. Or at least not at that moment, in the Turn 2 chicane where they made contact.
“The problem is that it’s not clear, another time, about why and in which case the Stewards take the decision about the penalties,” said Marini. “Because in my opinion, Jorge must not be there in that moment because of what happened in turn one.
“That was more dangerous than what happened with me, because I think that with me it was just something, bad luck, because with his foot he touched my handlebar and I crashed.
“Sure, he didn’t want to make me crash. I was just trying to make a wider line to avoid any contact and also for him I think it’s the same, because we don’t want to crash into each other, never. Because we know that this sport is dangerous and also because every time there are strong penalties about these moves.
“So it’s strange what happened after turn one. The Stewards didn’t take any decision, while with Fabio they took a decision very quickly to give him a long lap penalty.
“I think that if what happened in turn one maybe needed a penalty, then my incident would not have happened.”
Left foot to right down and then down @Luca_Marini_97’s promising #TissotSprint was cut short after luckless contact with @88jorgemartin #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/J6rKEmVZOJ
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) August 19, 2023
The VR46 rider added: “I think that at the beginning of the season, we were in a situation of very strict regulations, a lot of penalties, even if there was no crash [Francesco Bagnaia had to give a position back to Jack Miller for a close pass at Jerez]. While in some moment, I don’t remember at which race, but they [the Stewards] changed. They started to be more free. So pushing another rider out of the track is not a penalty, like happened in Silverstone, in my opinion, with some riders.
“But until now, when there is contact and some crashes, every time there was a penalty. But today no. So just it’s not clear. Because with Fabio they give him a long lap penalty. So why Fabio yes and not [Martin]?”
Bezzecchi, picking his words carefully, said: “For me, it’s wrong to decide [about penalties] after the race because you need to decide during the race.”
Having seen Martin involved in accidents for both of his riders, VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto said: “It is difficult to understand, in terms of regulation and also of Stewards, some steps and behaviors are not so precise and the penalties are not always clear.
“We find it hard to understand the decisions made today in the Sprint, involving our riders.”
Oliveira: “Long lap penalty, immediately. There’s no discussion”
Oliveira had also been the victim of a first lap incident at Jerez, when he was taken down in a similar chain reaction, for which Quartararo received a long lap penalty for the restart.
This time, the RNF rider couldn’t understand why Martin’s penalty decision dragged on, while Quartararo’s borderline move with Savadori resulted in a swift sanction.
“I don’t want to get into polemics about it, it’s not me who decides, it’s the three men up there that really make the calls. [But] in my humble opinion, it’s clearly a long lap penalty, immediately,” Oliveira said.
“There’s no need to wait one sector for it. He caused the collision. Took – in a domino effect – many riders out. He misjudged a little bit probably the angle of the corner. Basically that’s it.
“[The FIM Stewards] were very quick deciding things that don’t really matter. Like giving a long lap penalty to Quartararo fighting for 16th place. A guy who is second in the championship [Martin] and makes this kind of move into turn one, they don’t do anything.
“I don’t want to compare situations, but if you look at Jerez, what happened with me, completely different scenarios and different outcomes – but almost the same [type of incident].”
Vinales also felt there was little for the Stewards to discuss: “It ruined the race of many riders so it’s clear that this is a penalty. Nothing else to add.
“I’ve been lucky to stay on the bike, to don’t have any [damage from] the hits.”
While Oliveira felt not penalising Martin for the Marini contact was correct, he raised the theory that Martin might have been charging hard to try and mitigate the effect of a penalty for the Turn 1 move.
“I really feel sorry for Marini, but I don’t see a reason there to [penalise Martin],” he said.
“I think in his mind maybe he thought he would get a penalty for [Turn 1] and I think he just tried to push as much as he could to gain time in case he had the penalty, to not lose too much. I don’t know if was like that. But I think that’s what he thought.
“For sure the Turn 1 incident is a long lap penalty, immediately. There’s no discussion.”
Zarco: Stewards felt bad after “wrong decision in qualifying”
Martin’s team-mate Zarco even suggested the Spaniard was given leniency in the race due to the close track limits penalty that saw his best qualifying lap cancelled, leaving him twelfth on the grid.
“The penalty they gave to him in qualifying was wrong, because he was on the white line, he wasn’t on the green,” Zarco said. “Almost they feel bad to give a wrong penalty so they give extra care for the race. I have this feeling.
“The manoeuvre on Marini… was really the race incident. The first one, you start 12th and you exit Turn 1 in sixth, it means – okay, you did something amazing, but also it was very optimistic.
“But I think they were feeling bad because they already did a wrong decision in qualifying.”
The drama didn’t stop after Turn 1 for @FabioQ20!
El Diablo had to take a long lap after contact with @lorysava32 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/X9Jc34GC9n— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) August 19, 2023
Quartararo: I thought I deserved the long lap, not now
Quartararo meanwhile, having initially felt he deserved the long lap for the Savadori contact, later changed his mind.
“Before looking at the images, I felt I deserved the long lap. But looking at the images, I feel I don’t deserve it, but you know it’s not my job.
“It’s strange because I thought when I touched him, he crashed. But I touched him and then he looked the other way around. So automatically when you are leaning on the right and you look on the left it’s… Strange. So he didn’t really crash off my contact.
“But you know, it’s difficult. My job is just to ride at my 100%. When you are struggling that much to overtake. I had to find a way to pass and it was the only way. So, you know, it happens.”
Keyword: MotoGP Austria: Penalty delay confuses riders, teams: ‘Fabio Quartararo was penalised but Jorge Martin wasn‘t?