Ducati factory rider in MotoGP, Enea Bastianini confesses he chose to ignore his extended lap penalty at the Catalan Grand Prix because he disagreed with the decision of the stewards.
The Italian was involved in a battle with Gresini’s Alex Marquez when he was forced off track at Turn 1, resulting in him having to go through the run-off area that covers the initial corners.
Although riders are allowed to pass through these parts of the track, regulations specify that a competitor must lose at least one second in lap time to avoid punishment.
However, Bastianini did not comply with this rule and subsequently received an extended lap penalty, which was doubled when he decided not to serve the initial penalty.
Once again, Bastianini took matters into his own hands, leading to him receiving a ride-through penalty and a 32-second time penalty for repeatedly disregarding the rules.
As a result, Bastianini’s position in the standings dropped from ninth to 18th. He argued that he believed the stewards were wrong to discipline him in the first place.
When asked if he did not see the initial warning, Bastianini told Autosport: “The dashboard was very clear. I did not agree with the dashboard.
“I overtook Alex on the straight and, as we approached the braking zone at Turn 1, he braked later than me, forcing me to go onto the kerbs.
“For me, it was impossible to stay on the brakes and the only option was to cut the chicane. I could have gone back, but where to? On the kerb at Turn 2? No, that was impossible.
“Furthermore, I lost time because I followed the extended lap path [to avoid Turn 2]. I waited for Alex’s position to drop, but then I received the extended lap penalty.
“I didn’t agree, so I decided to continue without serving the extended back penalty.
“I know it wasn’t the right choice, but we had to do something because nothing changed. Every race, there’s something to clarify with the stewards, and that’s not fair.”
Bastianini’s lap times during the race showed that he wasn’t a second behind Marquez, as his lap times decreased from 1:40.589 on lap 11 to 1:31.078s when the incident occurred.
“After the race, I went with Davide [Tardozzi, team manager] to explain the issues and review the videos,” he added.
“Initially, the stewards believed the extended back penalty was justified. Then, they said ‘Ok, no’.
“They realized the decision was incorrect. I tried to regain my ninth position, but the race direction couldn’t do anything.
“Furthermore, according to race direction, I didn’t lose the [correct value] of time when I re-entered the track at Turn 2. I said ‘no, no, no, please review the video correctly – I lost a second’.”
