Marini questions TV's influence on MotoGP stewarding

Marini questions TV’s influence on MotoGP stewarding

Honda rider Luca Marini found himself at the centre of several decisions by the stewards during the Mugello weekend. Penalised for a slow lap in free practice, he was then caught up in a race incident. While he felt the penalty handed to Raúl Fernández for the collision was lenient, the Italian rider raised a broader question about the influence of television footage on the governing bodies’ decisions.

The Italian Grand Prix weekend proved particularly eventful for Luca Marini. After receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding Jorge Martín and Franco Morbidelli during Free Practice 2, the Honda rider was once again in the spotlight during the main race. He was forced into the gravel after contact with Raúl Fernández at Turn 10, severely compromising his chances of a strong result.

Promising start ruined by contact

Despite a difficult qualifying session that placed him 19th on the grid, Luca Marini had shown potential for a strong comeback. “I had a great start, I did the first few corners really well, I made up a lot of ground,” he commented after the race. “Honestly, starting 19th wasn’t easy, but I was around 12th place on the first lap, so the race started fantastically.”

Unfortunately, this momentum was abruptly halted on the fourth lap. Raúl Fernández, attempting an overtake, collided with Marini, sending the Italian off track. “And then, maybe on the fourth lap, Raúl hit me at Turn 10 and sent me into the gravel. It was a difficult situation to manage and I lost a lot of positions,” the rider recounted. Fernández was penalised with a one-place grid drop, a decision that, in Marini’s view, did not reflect the severity of the impact on his race.

Fernández’s penalty deemed insufficient

Although he recovered to 15th place after the incident, Luca Marini expressed his frustration at the perceived disproportion between his disadvantage and the penalty given to Fernández. “It’s a real shame, because I was in a good position after the first two or three laps,” the Italian lamented. However, he chose to remain measured in his comments, highlighting the difficulty of the stewards’ task.

“That’s how it is. It’s difficult because they don’t have the footage during the race. It’s a bit strange, but they did what they thought was correct. It’s always hard to manage these situations. I think it’s just a shame for my race, but Race Direction did a good job,” he added, showing a degree of resignation to the unpredictable nature of racing.

Marini questions TV's influence on MotoGP stewarding

TV footage: an influencing factor?

It was in this context that Luca Marini raised a sensitive point: the role of television images in the stewards’ decisions. According to him, the availability of footage can influence the application of penalties. “If I had come back to the pits without complaining, Raúl wouldn’t have been penalised. That’s a bit how it is at the moment. If they have the images, they penalise,” he analysed, pointing to a possible tendency to penalise more when incidents are clearly documented by cameras.

“Because they had the images of me returning to the pits and Martín making a show, I was penalised
. If there hadn’t been any images because the cameras had been following other riders, I wouldn’t have received a penalty. I know it’s impossible to see everything, but at

[samedi matin]