MotoGP to issue harsh penalties if riders miss promotional events

MotoGP riders could face session suspensions and even grid drops if they miss promotional fan events during race weekends, it is being reported.

During the Indonesian Grand Prix, Motorsport reported that riders were facing €5000 fines for missing promotional events, beginning that weekend with the ‘Hero Walk’ autograph session.

The fines were threatened to increase with each infraction, while sporting penalties were touted as a possibility.

Now the full picture of this penalty system has been revealed by The Race, after an email was circulated to teams on Friday at the Australian Grand Prix.

FIM stewards will now be involved

According to The Race, the scale of penalties begins with a warning from the championship and slides all the way to a grid drop.

A first offence will cop a warning to a rider, while a second offence will result in the already-reported €5000 fine.

A third offence will earn a rider a €10,000 fine. Should a fourth offence be registered, a rider will be fined €15,000 and have the matter raised to the FIM stewards, who will issue an official warning.

Should a fifth offence happen, the rider in question will be forced to sit out part of a practice session.

A grid penalty will be issued if a rider reaches six infractions, though it’s not clear what that will look like in real terms.

The typical first-time grid drop for an incident is three places, though the championship may want to make an example of whoever gets to that stage first.

Riders were already unhappy

Riders will now have to comply with appearances at the ‘Hero Walk’ for the mandatory 10 minutes, as well as attending all pre-race activations and the Thursday press conference.

Exceptions may be granted for injured riders or riders who have other engagements lined up.

Moto2 and Moto3 riders will also be held to the same standards, though their fine amounts will differ.

All of this comes after Marc Marquez missed a kart race at the Japanese Grand Prix and sent a stunt double in his place.

At the time, he said he had to put ice on his injured shoulder ahead of the grand prix, and that he has to prioritise himself while he is fighting for the title.

Other riders have also spoken out on the demands being place on their time, especially with the race format for 2027 putting more pressure on them.