Francesco Bagnaia has received a grid penalty for obstructing Alex Marquez during Friday’s practice session at the Italian MotoGP in Mugello. The incident, which occurred in the closing stages of the session, saw Marquez express his frustration towards the reigning double world champion after being impeded. The FIM Stewards promptly launched an investigation.
Bagnaia, who led the session comfortably, and Marquez, who finished eighth, both advanced directly to Saturday’s Qualifying 2. However, the Stewards announced on Friday evening that Bagnaia would receive a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s grand prix. The penalty was due to ‘riding slow online [and] disturbing another rider #73 at Turn 12’ and was consistent with the penalty protocol for incidents in the last 20 minutes of practice, which are critical for progression into Q2. This was Bagnaia’s first offense.
The FIM Appeal Stewards rejected an appeal against the penalty, upholding the MotoGP Stewards’ decision.
Alex Marquez explained his frustration, saying, “He was slow in the middle of the line and I was improving my lap time. So for me, it’s really clear. He didn’t turn [to look] at any time to see who was coming. I was on a hot lap, and he was completely in the middle [of the track]. Penalty or not, we will see. But after that incident, he went into the box. And when you are going into the box, you need to take care about the riders coming fast behind you.”
Bagnaia dismissed the incident initially, calling Marquez “a great showman” for his reaction. “I was braking out of the [racing] line,” Bagnaia said. “He’s a great showman, for sure. It’s useless to do some [gestures] like this. But it makes a good show. In case I receive a penalty for that… [it would] be ridiculous. I’m waiting but I don’t think I will receive a penalty.”
Meanwhile, speculation continues about team dynamics, with Marc Marquez, Alex’s older brother and Gresini Ducati teammate, potentially joining Bagnaia at the factory Ducati team in 2025. Title leader Jorge Martin, who was seventh fastest on Friday, is also a strong contender for the spot. Bagnaia is currently 39 points behind Martin in the standings.
This incident and subsequent penalty add another layer of complexity to the already competitive and dynamic MotoGP season.
Leave a Reply