Pick a phrase to describe the decisions made by the FIM MotoGP stewards of late and it’s pretty simple: consistently inconsistent. The rule-enforcing panel, led by former three-time grand prix world champion Freddie Spencer, has become an object of derision within the paddock, and unless MotoGP’s organisers make changes sooner rather than later there’s a chance of the entire sport becoming a laughing stock.
On paper, when Spencer was appointed as head of the panel, it seemed like a good idea. He’s a former racer who in theory understands racing, and came in with a reputation as a likeable character who would be able to make a difference to what had previously been a slightly convoluted and opaque system.
But in reality, it’s been the exact opposite. With Spencer joined every weekend by former airline pilot and AMA official Bill Cumbow and a third official appointed on an ad hoc basis, the decisions they’ve made have been a source of confusion for teams and fans alike.
That was highlighted last time out at the Portuguese Grand Prix, when some of the most senior figures in the paddock spoke out after penalties were issued in Moto3 qualifying.
With several riders being sent to pitlane to start the race after being caught touring on the racing line during qualifying, Tech3 KTM team boss Herve Poncharal led fresh criticism of the way in which sanctions were issued.
“Unfortunately, there was a very strange decision again taken by race direction,” he fumed in the team’s post-race press release, after his rider Deniz Oncu was slapped with a pitlane start for the second race in a row.
“I have to say that it’s kind of a disgrace. I am absolutely disappointed and very sad about the way that decision was taken and especially, I don’t understand why the penalty imposed on a lot of riders was different from one to another. Somebody had to pay a fine and somebody else had to start from the pit lane.
“This is something that will stay in my mind and in my heart. Some people don’t understand how much they can hurt a rider’s career in that business.”
Poncharal’s gripe appeared to be that while Oncu and Petronas Sprinta’s Darryn Binder were consigned to pitlane starts, other riders and teams were given fines for what appeared to be similar offenses.
The furious comments by Poncharal (pictured above, right, speaking with FIM president Jorge Viegas) carry even more weight thanks to his secondary role within the paddock as president of the International Race Team’s Association, the body who works with organisers Dorna to ensure the logistical challenges of MotoGP works.
His views were echoed by Paolo Simoncelli, too, with the SIC58 team principal adding to Poncharal’s comments with his own views in his respective press release.
Simoncelli was aggrieved by a €1,000 fine that he said was “handed out to me and other teams” – presumably what Poncharal referred to – for “putting the riders on track on purpose all together”.
“They’re always available in their offices,” wrote Simoncelli (pictured above with long-serving rider Tatsuki Suzuki in 2019) of the stewards panel, “they listen to you and your suggestions and they seem to share and agree on your opinion, but at the end, they do like all sons – as soon as you go out they do whatever they want.
“They are the most chatted-about trio in the paddock for their decisions, which every time add value to our thesis about their unreasoned decisions. And even if sometimes they understand their own mistakes, they never go back to their steps, they go straight with their first decision. Fantastic!
“I’ve said too much about this, but it is absurd and it breaks my already fragile nerves.”
That’s a point that’s been highlighted multiple times by riders and teams, albeit often off the record, with riders seemingly not just punished at random for infractions but also punished for making no mistake at all – only for the stewards to admit no wrongdoing when presented with evidence, according to The Race’s sources.
And while the problem has largely been confined to Moto3, it’s now also starting to affect the premier class, as evidenced by Maverick Vinales’ qualifying penalty in last weekend’s race at Portimao.
When Vinales was found guilty of exceeding track limits and subsequently docked a laptime that moved him from the front row to the fourth and effectively sabotaged his whole race, it was initially heralded as a step in the right direction thanks to the addition of new automatic sensors taking controversial decisions out of the hands of the stewards.
However, it later emerged that those sensors – reportedly damaged by rainfall during the weekend – were inactive at the corner where the Monster Energy Yamaha rider ran wide, instead leaving the controversial decision once again down to the eyes of the stewards panel.
So what’s the solution to the whole mess that the series has found itself in? One step seems obvious right away – adding someone to the panel trained not in racing motorbikes or flying planes but in the law.
There’s clearly a huge issue with inconsistency. So bring in a lawyer or judge who understands jurisprudence rather than going fast on a bike, and allow the stewards panel to establish some legal precedence so that riders and teams can understand their sanctions.
Secondly, the full MotoGP rulebook needs to be published, so that fans and media can better understand why riders are being punished. Right now, there exists two sets of rules; the official ones published by the FIM every year, and the ‘guidance,’ which is issued only as memos to teams and not published anywhere – and which varies from class to class and weekend to weekend.
And thirdly, if there is one area where MotoGP can learn from F1, it’s in how the series engages with the media in explaining decisions. In the four-wheeled series, when a driver is punished, a summary of the entire judgement is made publicly available. Additionally, the race director is available on a regular basis for comment, allowing journalists to quiz them not only on penalties but on safety and other issues.
In MotoGP, though, official sanctions, when they eventually arrive (last Sunday’s Moto3 press release came six minutes after the start of the race!), are a bare-bones explanation of what rule was broken and what the punishment will be. The stewards panel refuses all media requests, has never once spoken to journalists since its creation, and continues to be not just opaque but a black hole of information.
It’s an issue that needs tackling, too, because it’s detracting from what is currently one of the greatest shows on Earth. Thanks to inspired rule-writing, strong investment from manufacturers and an incredibly competitive batch of riders, MotoGP has never been better – and that’s something that needs protecting from stupid off-track decisions.
