Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP riders will welcome Marc Marquez’s controversial penalty at the Thailand Grand Prix, Neil Hodgson says. Marquez lost a potential Sprint victory after an audacious move on Pedro Acosta.
At the outset, Hodgson said Marquez’s penalty was fair because he had come from too far back and forced the KTM rider off track at the final corner. The incident settled a gripping battle between the future teammates.
Marquez was ordered to drop a position on the final lap, handing Acosta his first victory of any description. Some MotoGP fans opposed the penalty, but Hodgson stands by his verdict.
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Neil Hodgson explains why MotoGP riders will welcome Marc Marquez’s penalty
Speaking on the Gas it Out podcast, Hodgson acknowledged that viewers at home were seeking ‘entertainment’, but stressed that FIM race director Simon Crafar needs to prioritise safety.
And ‘silly lunges’ – like Marquez’s move on Acosta – are seen as crossing the line. Riders will feel ‘protected’ after Crafar’s decision.
Chicho Lorenzo says Marquez can no longer ‘force’ his opponent off line under the Crafar regime, which has been a ‘hallmark’ of his career.
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“What the stewards are trying to achieve – Simon Crafar is leading it – is safer racing,” Hodgson said. “We are trying to prevent silly lunges. If you’re a rider, you want to be protected. Essentially, that’s what Simon’s doing.
“If you’re a complete neutral sat at home, you don’t really care. You want to see people get smashed into. That’s entertainment.
“At the end of the day, you have to think about the line of safety. That’s why Simon Crafar is doing a fantastic job. His opinion was, ‘Marc’s just over the line there’, so he dealt with it.”
Marc Marquez says Simon Crafar and FIM stewards have set a new ‘red line’
Asked about the penalty again at an Estrella Galicia 0.0 event this week, Marquez drew a comparison with officiating in football, specifically the ever-changing handball rules.
He says Crafar has set a new ‘red line’ and expects him to apply it consistently for the remainder of the season. Riders will have to be less aggressive as a result.
“You have to adapt – it’s like penalties in football,” he explained. “A handball that wasn’t a handball before is now, or vice versa.
“Each season, there’s a red line set by the stewards, and in this first Grand Prix, they lowered it a bit.
“Well, that’s what they’ll have to maintain throughout the season, and the riders will have to adapt.”
After retiring from Sunday’s race due to a tyre failure, Marquez left Thailand with only his nine Sprint points on the board. That puts him eighth in the championship before Brazil.
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