ACOSTA AND ALEX MARQUEZ CRITICISE MOTOGP FINES FOR MISSED PROMOTIONAL EVENTS

Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez are not alone in opposing MotoGP’s proposed €5,000 fines for riders who miss promotional events. Alex Marquez says the plan fails to take riders’ circumstances into account, arguing that organisers should allow for individual needs rather than enforce attendance without flexibility.

MotoGP informed teams of the plan on Saturday at the Indonesian Grand Prix. Riders would be fined €5,000 if they failed to meet minimum attendance requirements at fan events, including spending a set amount of time at promotional activities. The initial fine reportedly increases with each offence; sporting sanctions could eventually include grid drops or points penalties, although no details have been announced. The issue gained attention after Marc Marquez skipped a karting event before the Japanese Grand Prix, which had replaced the rider parade. He sent a stand-in wearing his gear and helmet. Fabio Di Giannantonio also missed the event, with medical clearance.

Acosta said he disagreed with fining riders, pointing to Raul Fernandez, who had a broken bone in a finger he uses to brake. Fernandez needed to attend to the injury, Acosta said, and pain or difficulty braking could create a more serious problem. Whether a rider can take part, he added, depends on the circumstances at the time.

Acosta also defended Marquez’s absence, saying the championship may not know how a rider is feeling. “I agree that Marc Marquez didn’t go to the kart race, because he’s playing for something much bigger,” he said. If a rider has crashed, recovery should take priority over signing photos. Acosta acknowledged that riders need to do more for fans and that people can be frustrated when they leave quickly, but said organisers must understand individual situations and find a middle ground. “They can’t take points away from you in the overall standings or grid positions for not going to an event, that’s nonsense.”

Alex Marquez said the proposed penalty for missing the Hero Walk — a €5,000 fine for failing to attend or stay for its required ten minutes — was “pretty complicated”. Riders are being pushed “to the limit”, he said, with more races and events leaving them short of energy during a demanding season. “It’s a bit like they don’t care about the rider’s perspective,” he said, urging organisers to understand what riders endure. He noted that they raced for 45 minutes at a heart rate of 190 beats per minute in Indonesia. Yamaha’s Alex Rins said the heat at races such as Indonesia can leave riders “completely wrecked”; after the sprint, Marc Marquez said he felt dizzy during the post-race ceremonies.

“The organisation should roll off a bit and give us a bit of space,” Acosta said, adding that he agreed with Marquez’s decision in Japan. The Hero Walk, where riders are expected to spend at least ten minutes signing autographs and taking photos with fans who have paid for access, is among the activities at the centre of the debate.

The dispute has renewed questions about the lack of a riders’ union, amid criticism of MotoGP’s recently announced 2027 race-weekend format. Alex Marquez said the new qualifying format would add to the pressure. Pecco Bagnaia noted that only four riders attended a Safety Commission meeting about the format; riders who stay away have said they do not believe their concerns are heard and that agreement among the grid is difficult.

Acosta was pessimistic that riders would unite to represent their interests, saying he thought such a moment “will never come”. “Everyone is looking for their own interests,” he said. “Even the teams are looking at their interests and the interests for the brand.”

Acosta warned that the pressure could shorten riders’ careers and leave former stars unwilling to return to the paddock. “We will see legends who will go out of the paddock and not even want to come back, because of the stress that we have is too high,” he said. “I hope this improves.”