Jorge Martín managed to turn his weekend around at the Indonesian MotoGP Grand Prix. The Spanish rider lost the lead in the overall standings on Saturday, when a mistake by Aprilia in setting his tyre pressures and an error of his own whilst trying to reclaim the lead he had been forced to cede to Marc Marquez saw him drop to fourth place, whilst the reigning champion clinched victory in a sprint finish.
But on Sunday, Martin managed to secure a better result. Although the rider from San Sebastián de los Reyes didn’t get off to a good start, he managed to fight his way back up to third place in the first half of the race. Although he ended up in no man’s land, unable to match the blistering pace set by his team-mates, Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez, Márquez’s sixth-place finish reinstated the championship leader, with a two-point advantage over his countryman heading into the Australian Grand Prix.
However, Martin’s performance on Sunday was nearly marred by another setback. A viral video on social media has caused quite a stir, raising doubts as to whether the Aprilia rider may have jumped the start.
One of Martin’s closest friends, Aleix Espargaro, was present at the Mandalika circuit, marking his return to MotoGP to replace the injured Joan Mir on the Honda. But the Catalan was unable to compete in Sunday’s main race due to the physical exertion he had to endure over two days following a serious injury sustained a few months ago.
However, the elder of the Espargaro brothers was right there supporting Martín throughout Sunday. The Honda rider stayed close to Martin at all times, including at the start, which was filmed by Aleix’s wife, Laura Montero. She posted the video on her social media, and many fans have been scrutinising the clip, wondering whether he committed a ‘jump start’ or not.
As one can see in the video, posted on her Instagram account, Martín is not completely stationary – as is usually the case with MotoGP starts – but makes some movements right up until the last moment. That said, at no point in the video is the start light shown, nor is it clear when it goes out – something that would be key to determining whether the world championship leader committed a breach or not.
Similarly, the movements Martín makes also mean that he gradually moves forward from his starting position, which could also be interpreted as jumping the start.
What the regulations say
However, MotoGP's sporting regulations rule out any penalty for Martin. For a jump start, a rider is usually handed a double long lap.
To clarify this matter, we must refer to two articles in the latest version of the MotoGP Sporting Regulations, published on 13 September. The first is Article 1.18.13, which concerns the position that the rider and motorcycle must occupy within their starting box on the grid.
"On returning to the grid [after the warm-up lap], the riders must take up their positions with the front wheel of their motorcycle up to and behind the front line and between the side lines defining the grid position and keep their engines running. The front tyre must not be touching the track surface outside of the painted lines," it states.
This means that the only thing prohibited by the regulations is clearly crossing the white line marking the start box on the grid; however, touching the line is permitted, as this is not considered to be overshooting one’s position.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect regarding whether or not Martin jumped the start is the movements he makes just before the race begins. To check what the regulations say on this matter, one must refer to Article 1.18.14.
"The motorcycle must be stationary at the time the red lights are turned off. Anticipation of the start is defined by the motorcycle moving forward at the time the red lights are turned off," read the regulations.
"In the case of a minor movement and subsequent stop whilst the red lights are on, the designated officials will be the sole judge of whether an advantage has been gained."
In this case, there are clearly evident doubts as to whether Martín had his Aprilia stationary at the moment the lights went out, given that the starting lights gantry is not visible at any point in the video, and his machine does indeed move forwards.
However, the Spaniard may have moved the motorbike right up until the last moment, bringing it to a halt precisely as the red lights were about to go out, in order to comply with the regulations.
Had he not done so, the incident would be subject, as explained in the second part of the article, to the stewards’ interpretation.
In such cases, the regulations focus on whether or not the rider in question gained an advantage – a point that is open to multiple interpretations by anyone who witnessed the incident. That said, it is worth noting that Martín did not gain positions on the way to the first corner, but rather lost them: having started fifth, he entered the corner in sixth place, after being overtaken by Fermin Aldeguer.