MOTOGP MAY ESCALATE PENALTIES FOR SKIPPED PROMOTIONAL EVENTS

MotoGP could move beyond financial penalties for riders who skip promotional events, with sporting sanctions reportedly under consideration after Marc Marquez missed a go-kart activity at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The event at Motegi was part of a wider push to grow MotoGP’s global audience under owner Liberty Media. Marquez, who has a lingering right shoulder injury, did not take part himself and instead used a body double. He later criticised the added risk of promotional activities, while reports said he had received a telling-off from MotoGP. The series has since introduced a €5,000 fine for riders who miss future events.

Pedro Acosta backed Marquez, describing the new penalties as “nonsense”. Jack Miller took the opposite view, arguing that no rider is bigger than the sport.

The possibility of tougher consequences was raised by journalist Simon Patterson on The Race MotoGP Podcast. He said there was a paddock rumour that sporting sanctions could follow if a rider simply chose to pay the fine. “The next step, if Marc just says, ‘That’s fine, I can spend €5,000 a weekend on this’, [is] that they’ll introduce sporting sanctions,” Patterson said.

Patterson questioned whether a grid penalty would be an appropriate response to missing a promotional appearance. “The day that someone gets a three-place grid penalty for not turning up to a PR go-kart race on Sunday morning, is the day that Dorna can have my pass back,” he said. “It’s not a sport anymore. Like, does any other sport do that?”

He also highlighted the physical demands on MotoGP riders, many of whom travel with injuries sustained during the season. Go-karting, he noted, can be physically taxing, while riders already face the workload of sprint races and other commitments. Patterson said some activities are being added in place of track sessions, and pointed to riders who need physiotherapy for lingering injuries. He also cited two riders from one team who are due to have surgery at the end of the year to remove metalwork.

The issue may remain relevant for Marquez: his Ducati contract, which runs through 2028, includes more promotional events and other commitments in 2027. Given his ongoing injuries, the question is whether he will be expected to attend activities that could aggravate them—and whether refusing could eventually affect his place on the grid.