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2021 Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

I felt the same about FQ. Like riders being allowed to ride when not adequately recovered from injuries, we see another situation where FQ is allowed to ride multiple laps at full speed with his leathers open and his chest plate off. This should have been an immediate black flag. Although we know it isn't safe out there, there are safety regulations (both sporting and technical) to make riders as safe as possible.

Olivier rode a hell of a race. Hats off to him. A great ride from Zarco as well.

Honda's situation reminds me of McLaren when they were blaming Honda power units for their lack of performance. It was not until they switched power unit suppliers that their other problems became clear. Honda seems to have been pinning all their hopes etc. on MM's return. Now that he has returned, the extent of their issues which have been largely neglected, are now in sharp focus. It's becoming more and more clear that it's not MM's lack of fitness that is responsible for his poor results race after race.

It’s not as if he opened his leathers for capricious reasons. His airbag malfunctioned and he literally couldn’t breath.

In the event - it was a great race. Olivera was on fire. Zarco looked great. Mir had a shot. Apparently KTM have finally done the practical thing and dumped the tube/cradle frame. Fine for street bikes, but not in the premiere class. I wonder if the change was influenced by Red Bull. They’re a company that is used to getting their way - and winning.

Especially hated to see Espargaro go down on the Aprilia. An exciting time for racing with KTM, Aprilia and Suzuki all innovating their way onto the podium.

Between the malfunctioning air-bag and Marquez way far back and still unable to finish three races, there’s more than a bit of egg on the faces of Alpine Stars and HRC.

Wonderful BTW - to see Dani looking truly happy and at ease in his work. A good guy.
 
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The rate at which riders were falling should have been a black flag. FQ was still pushing.

It looks really bad for it to go on like it did.
 
It’s not as if he opened his leathers for capricious reasons. His airbag malfunctioned and he literally couldn’t breath.


It really does not matter any reasons the zip was down. FQ should have been DQ'd.

I can see a pitlane start or back of grid penalty next race. He broke the safety rules that dictate a rider must complete a race with all of their protective gear intact.


I had a sick feeling in my stomach watching him complete those final laps. IF he had of come off, it would have been disastrous.
Race direction/Stewards had a responsibility to protect him from himself. They failed; and are lucky nothing eventuated.

I really do wonder what the .... they are doing sometimes.
 
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At current rate he is on course for seriously reinjuring himself..... desperation isn't looking good in him
Desperation?
I don't see it as desperation.
Desperation from what?
He is openly saying the bike is hard to hold onto due to the arm and shoulder. The strength is not there.
Marc pushes the front like nobody I've seen before, huge history of him doing that at almost every race meeting. Lost count of the number of times I've watched replays of him chasing a sliding front tyre.
That clearly needs strength.
It also clearly ain't there.
I would say it makes sense to knock it back a bit until it is.
I hope he does anyway, as yeah another injury could be the result.
Still, when you have achieved what he has and have that level of competitive desire, I can only imagine it is a bit hard to dial it back...
 
I had a sick feeling in my stomach watching him complete those final laps. IF he had of come off, it would have been disastrous.

Possibly.
Possibly not.
I don't see too many sliding face down.
Still, sliding through a sand trap may not have ended so well.
Or he might have slid on his back and had it do far call.

I don't want the championship potentially decided over a bloody airbag malfunction, if that is the reason behind it.

I don't see it being a regular problem that needs addressing and he has probably been warned
 
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Dorna obviously thought the same, and turned a blind eye. Disgusting.

You don't know how he could have tumbled with his jacket open.
 
Not that I disagree, but I would like to read the rule(s) as written, in context, rather than your colloquial rendering...

Spirit of the law - not the letter of the law.

It’s not as if he set out to undermine the safety rules. Moreover, It’s not as if he endangered anyone other than himself. Would have been the height of absurdity to DQ him.
 
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Dorna obviously thought the same, and turned a blind eye. Disgusting.

You don't know how he could have tumbled with his jacket open.

FFS - everyone on this site rides and has at one time suffered road rash. Who doesn’t know the potential for injury? And if we know, you can bet your ... Fabio knows.
 
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Well now you know:

The Frenchman is penalised for riding without his leather suit correctly fastened and without the required chest protector
Tags MotoGP, 2021, GRAN PREMI MONSTER ENERGY DE CATALUNYA, RAC, Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
For riding without his leather suit correctly fastened and without the required chest protector, World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has been given a three-second time penalty applied to the results of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya MotoGP™ race.

Quartararo crossed the line in third place but was handed a three-second penalty for shortcutting Turns 1 and 2 in the closing stages, seeing him demoted to P4. Now, after the additional penalty, Quartararo finishes sixth in the Catalan GP and has a 14-point lead over Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in the overall standings heading to Germany.
 
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MM has pretty much never complained about anything his opponents do on track to my knowledge.

Stoner certainly complained strongly about towing, but I don't recall him ever seeking tows himself, and he was completely relaxed about other riders on his team having his data. Perhaps a fan boy opinion, but I think he was mainly irked while riding the Ducati, when as Valentino and JB actually said his method of getting the pig through the corner involved taking it to the verge of crashing, so perhaps understandable he didn't want another rider close to him when on a fast lap in practice/working out where that verge was. He was absolutely correct about his more major complaint, riders dawdling on the racing line, but perhaps could have prosecuted his case differently.

Lorenzo pretty much made a joke about it like Jack, his crew had a tow truck pit board to warn Jorge when Hector Barbera was around.


Verbally, he may never complained. But running slow off track, signalling following riders through, going back to pit lane, simulating going out of garage, etc ... all are actions of who does not give tow's.

What i don't like is what can be less exciting races as result of tow's.
Example, was very close of factory honda's going into Q2 instead of JM.
Jack ended up going to take the front row, podium and was a key part in the race's excitement.

If Jack started 13th i doubt he would make it to be a key player in the front of the race.

Slower riders splitting the faster ones as result of qualifying leads potentially to less exciting races.

Well now you know:

The Frenchman is penalised for riding without his leather suit correctly fastened and without the required chest protector
Tags MotoGP, 2021, GRAN PREMI MONSTER ENERGY DE CATALUNYA, RAC, Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
For riding without his leather suit correctly fastened and without the required chest protector, World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has been given a three-second time penalty applied to the results of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya MotoGP race.

Quartararo crossed the line in third place but was handed a three-second penalty for shortcutting Turns 1 and 2 in the closing stages, seeing him demoted to P4. Now, after the additional penalty, Quartararo finishes sixth in the Catalan GP and has a 14-point lead over Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in the overall standings heading to Germany.



So, 3 points penalty was the outcome.
After what happened in Mugello the sensible thing would be to stop Fabio. We lost a rider and risking one getting any type of injury (light or severe) for not having the "Required" security gear properly in place looks unwise.

If by Fabio's or anyone else's action Fabio ended up crashing with his suit like that the bad press exposure could be intense.
Also, if was later in the season Ducati and any other brand would jump at race direction for punishment lol


But now, joking a bit ... at least Maverick's new crew chief is paying already ... he was the best Yamaha out there. :D:D:D
 
Verbally, he may never complained. But running slow off track, signalling following riders through, going back to pit lane, simulating going out of garage, etc ... all are actions of who does not give tow's.

What i don't like is what can be less exciting races as result of tow's.
Example, was very close of factory honda's going into Q2 instead of JM.
Jack ended up going to take the front row, podium and was a key part in the race's excitement.

If Jack started 13th i doubt he would make it to be a key player in the front of the race.

Slower riders splitting the faster ones as result of qualifying leads potentially to less exciting races.





So, 3 points penalty was the outcome.
After what happened in Mugello the sensible thing would be to stop Fabio. We lost a rider and risking one getting any type of injury (light or severe) for not having the "Required" security gear properly in place looks unwise.

If by Fabio's or anyone else's action Fabio ended up crashing with his suit like that the bad press exposure could be intense.
Also, if was later in the season Ducati and any other brand would jump at race direction for punishment lol


But now, joking a bit ... at least Maverick's new crew chief is paying already ... he was the best Yamaha out there. :D:D:D

Jack always had it in him and knew he did, he cut it too fine in FP3.

It is interesting following Jack, he is totally different to an MM in his pomp or Stoner for that matter, and unless his career has a remarkable uptick going forward will never be at all comparable with those guys, but he very definitely does not try to dominate every session like that duo, FP4 and warm up are no guide at all to his race pace, he uses them to solidify his race set-up and doesn’t strive for fastest times in those sessions at all.
 
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Spirit of the law - not the letter of the law.

It’s not as if he set out to undermine the safety rules. Moreover, It’s not as if he endangered anyone other than himself. Would have been the height of absurdity to DQ him.

It’s about FQ’s safety. It’s not about him breaking any rules intentionally. He will wish to take the chance. He’s accustomed to risk taking and like MM and his arm, it really shouldn’t be up to the rider. Regulations are there to be followed and no one will fuss if it’s enforced for all. He should have been called in to fix his leathers. What that does is it motivates a change in the tech to avoid that sort of mishap. Safety should not be compromised. I winced watching him ride until the chequered flag. He’s a really nice fella and I’d hate to see something avoidable happen to him. Better to live to fight another day.
 
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It’s about FQ’s safety. It’s not about him breaking any rules intentionally. He will wish to take the chance. He’s accustomed to risk taking and like MM and his arm, it really shouldn’t be up to the rider. Regulations are there to be followed and no one will fuss if it’s enforced for all. He should have been called in to fix his leathers. What that does is it motivates a change in the tech to avoid that sort of mishap. Safety should not be compromised. I winced watching him ride until the chequered flag. He’s a really nice fella and I’d hate to see something avoidable happen to him. Better to live to fight another day.

I saw this elsewhere so I can’t take credit:
Would it have been ok if Lorenzo when he had the helmet liner issue chucked his helmet off mid race and kept going?
 
It’s not as if he opened his leathers for capricious reasons. His airbag malfunctioned and he literally couldn’t breath.

In the event - it was a great race. Olivera was on fire. Zarco looked great. Mir had a shot. Apparently KTM have finally done the practical thing and dumped the tube/cradle frame. Fine for street bikes, but not in the premiere class. I wonder if the change was influenced by Red Bull. They’re a company that is used to getting their way - and winning.

Especially hated to see Espargaro go down on the Aprilia. An exciting time for racing with KTM, Aprilia and Suzuki all innovating their way onto the podium.

Between the malfunctioning air-bag and Marquez way far back and still unable to finish three races, there’s more than a bit of egg on the faces of Alpine Stars and HRC.

Wonderful BTW - to see Dani looking truly happy and at ease in his work. A good guy.

His airbag did not deploy. He said after the race the zipper fell down and he couldn't get it back up hence chucking the chest protector since it wasn't going to stay in an opened race suit.

All that being said, he should have either come into the pits to address it, or he should have been black-flagged. The time penalty after the race was a joke. He tossed out his chest protector onto a live track in the middle of a grand prix. Could easily have caused another rider to crash out because of that stupidity.

Race Direction is run by clueless twits at this point. There was no reason to let him stay out there. What if he went down at 150 with the leathers open? It was for his own safety to black-flag him and they did nothing of the sort. It's gotten pathetic because 8 years ago, MM was black-flagged for being one lap out of the pit stop window at Phillip Island, and a genuine safety concern arose yesterday, and they did nothing. Phillip Island 2013 was far less egregious than anything yet the decision was made there to black flag. What is the proverbial red line at this point for a black flag? They've moved the goal posts so far that you don't even know anymore. Joe Roberts got that penalty last race for being what, an inch over the white line, yet Fabio was allowed to ride for 4-5 laps with his leathers hanging open?
 
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I saw this elsewhere so I can’t take credit:

Would it have been ok if Lorenzo when he had the helmet liner issue chucked his helmet off mid race and kept going?
Do you rate that as anything approaching a similar level of risk?

Fabio was the person making the risk assessment based on a risk that affected him only.
It appeared he was able to manage that risk.
I don't see him making the same choice to continue without a helmet.

I am happy he was not black flagged or DQed.
I haven't seen a similar episode before and am unlikely to see it again.
 
Do you rate that as anything approaching a similar level of risk?

Fabio was the person making the risk assessment based on a risk that affected him only.
It appeared he was able to manage that risk.
I don't see him making the same choice to continue without a helmet.

I am happy he was not black flagged or DQed.
I haven't seen a similar episode before and am unlikely to see it again.

Racers are notoriously bad at risk assessment. That's why he should have been black-flagged immediately.

It didn't just affect him. He threw his chest protector out on the track in the middle of a grand prix dude. Not acceptable. What happens if someone was coming through leaned over and hit it?

Also given a rider just recently died, it's not a good look to let one of the bigger names get away with a blatant rules violation because it sends the wrong message to all riders whether in that class, or lower classes.
 
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It’s about FQ’s safety. It’s not about him breaking any rules intentionally. He will wish to take the chance. He’s accustomed to risk taking and like MM and his arm, it really shouldn’t be up to the rider. Regulations are there to be followed and no one will fuss if it’s enforced for all. He should have been called in to fix his leathers. What that does is it motivates a change in the tech to avoid that sort of mishap. Safety should not be compromised. I winced watching him ride until the chequered flag. He’s a really nice fella and I’d hate to see something avoidable happen to him. Better to live to fight another day.

Such an unyielding pedantic view toward an incident that clearly included extenuating circumstances is antithetical to the spirit of racing. The increase in risk factor was so minimal. Seriously, when’s the last time anyone suffered a chest injury? And when’s the last time a rider suffered chest injury in the last three laps of the race? I can’t believe any rational person would expect him to forfeit all his points because the bloody air-bag malfunctioned and wouldn’t let him breathe. You’d think he was riding around in flip-flops and no helmet. Ridiculous. What’s next? A 50,000 Euro fine for his zipper being down two inches? There needs to be room for discretionary distinctions between flagrant flouting of a rule and taking emergency measures to be able to breathe.
 

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