JOHANN ZARCO GIVEN THREE-PLACE GRID PENALTY AFTER STEWARDS RULE ON BEZZECCHI IMPEDING INCIDENT
6d ago·
Johann Zarco has been handed a penalty by the FIM MotoGP stewards after an incident in qualifying at the San Marino Grand Prix involving polesitter Marco Bezzecchi. The matter was investigated following complaints from Bezzecchi in parc fermé, where the Aprilia rider said Zarco “ruined my only clean lap” during Q2.
According to the stewards’ findings, the incident was not fully visible at the time, but later replay analysis showed Zarco riding slowly in front of Bezzecchi through Turns 5 and 6. The stewards concluded that Zarco was riding irresponsibly and therefore imposed a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race.
The sanction will move Zarco from 11th on the grid to 14th for the grand prix. Importantly, his original qualifying position will remain unchanged for the sprint.
This is not the first time Zarco has carried a penalty into a Sunday race in succession. The report notes it is his second consecutive weekend with a penalty for the main event. Earlier, at Aragon, he was forced to serve a double long lap penalty after triggering a multi-rider crash that left him injured in May’s Catalan Grand Prix.
Bezzecchi, meanwhile, reflected on a qualifying session that he described as difficult to manage. After taking pole, he said: “Was a good lap.” He added that he was happy because qualifying “wasn’t easy,” explaining that he encountered “a lot of yellow flags” and found it “difficult to find the concentration.”
Bezzecchi also detailed how his strategy played out across the two Q2 stints. He said that in the first stint he stayed on track “one lap more,” and that it ended up being his best run. By contrast, he said that in the second stint he “couldn’t have a clean lap,” before reiterating the impact of Zarco’s interference: “Zarco ruined my only clean lap, so it was a tough one. But, very happy.” He closed by praising the team, saying: “The team did a wonderful job and now we focus on the races.”
Qualifying also produced other notable grid outcomes. The report states that Bezzecchi led Marc Marquez in qualifying, while Fermin Aldeguer came through from Q1 to secure third place on the grid for Gresini Ducati.
In a separate decision announced on Friday, the stewards also penalised VR46’s Franco Morbidelli for repeatedly impeding riders during practice, requiring him to serve a long lap penalty in the grand prix.