Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez’s Spanish Grand Prix sprint race win would not have counted under an older MotoGP rule that was quietly changed.
Marquez’s sprint race win at Jerez marked what looked to be a resurgence for the reigning MotoGP world champion this weekend.
However, there was controversy surrounding the win, given that Marquez cut across the pit lane to change his bike after a crash.
Should Marc Marquez have received a penalty for cutting across the track to pit after crashing in the Jerez Sprint?
Riders like Francisco Bagnaia defended Marquez after the sprint, noting that the veteran rider had done nothing wrong.
But despite being defended by his fellow riders, there are questions about how Marc Marquez’s win could be considered legal.
READ MORE: Neil Hodgson saw unusual activity in Ducati garage before Marc Marquez’s Spanish Grand Prix crash
MotoGP quietly got rid of pit-lane rule years before Marc Marquez incident
Speaking on The Race’s MotoGP podcast, journalist Simon Patterson revealed that he was contacted by Guido Meda, who pointed out a surprising and quiet rule change.
Meda sent him the rule that states that crossing the white lines is not a legal way to enter the pit lane, and that the designated lanes are the only route to the pits.
“What I don’t understand, and I haven’t been able to get an answer to this yet – why the rules that were in place around pit entry were removed from the MotoGP rule book a few years ago.
“Guido Meda, Italian MotoGP legendary commentator, messaged me yesterday night to say, ‘I found this, and I can’t figure out what year it was from. But entrance to the pit lane must be made only through the deceleration lane or designated area. Crossing the white lines while entering the pit lane is prohibited.’
“So at some point in the last few years, that’s been taken out. And I don’t really understand why? It was not taken out 12 minutes after the end of the sprint race on Saturday.
“I don’t know where that’s quite disappeared to because that then would have made what Marc did illegal. But there’s no rules on it, so he didn’t do anything illegal. Because that’s not there now.”
READ MORE: Alex Marquez cannot understand one Marc Marquez skill key to his ‘lucky’ Jerez Sprint win
Did Marc Marquez end his title hopes at Jerez or was it just a blip?
Marc Marquez’s sprint win didn’t translate to Spanish Grand Prix win
Despite having all the momentum ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix after earning the sprint win and pole position for the race, Sunday didn’t go as the Spanish rider would have hoped.
Marquez crashed early into the Spanish Grand Prix, paving the way for his brother, Alex Marquez, to win the race.
But more importantly, it allowed Marco Bezzecchi to secure second place and extend the gap between the two riders, after Marc Marquez had cut it down to just 24 points.
Marquez was undoubtedly frustrated by the crash, given that he missed a chance to catch up to Marco Bezzecchi.
While his title hopes are certainly dashed right now, the veteran rider will still be confident in his chances to overcome this deficit and win the world title.
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