Ducati MotoGP rider, Enea Bastianini shockingly confessed that he disobeyed his penalty at the Catalunya Grand Prix as a form of protest against the race direction. He believes that his team and Ducati’s management are supporting his decision. Bastianini received a long lap penalty for going off track at turns 1-2 of the Barcelona circuit while battling for eighth place with Alex Marquez. Although he did not lose time in that sector, his overall time was half a second slower than his previous time. The regulations state that riders must give up a second when cutting the track at turn 2, which Bastianini disagreed with as he felt he was forced off track due to an aggressive move by Marquez, not because of his own mistake. He chose not to comply with the penalty, resulting in a 32-second penalty at the end of the race and being demoted from ninth place.
After the race, when asked by the press if he did not see the penalty message on his dashboard, Bastianini admitted that the message was clear, but he did not agree with it. He explained that he overtook Marquez on the straight and, during braking, Marquez pushed him off track, making it impossible for him to stay on track with the brakes applied. Bastianini felt that cutting the chicane was the only option, even though he knew it was not the right choice. He stated that he was expecting Marquez to be penalized, and when he received the penalty himself, he refused to accept it. Bastianini expressed his frustration with the race stewards, claiming that every race there is always something to explain to them, and he felt it was unfair.
After the race, Bastianini and Ducati’s team manager, Davide Tardozzi, met with the race stewards. Bastianini mentioned that they reconsidered their perspective on the incident. However, he also mentioned that his attempt to appeal the penalty was unsuccessful because he did not meet the required time. He said that the team supported him and agreed with his decision.
