Franco Morbidelli has been fined €1,000 and will miss the opening five minutes of practice at Le Mans later this month for failing to react to a technical issue during MotoGP qualifying at Jerez.
The VR46 rider continued back to the pits despite significant smoke being emitted from his Ducati.
The FIM MotoGP Stewards accepted that Morbidelli (unlike Joan Mir) was not shown black-and-orange flags officially instructing him to stop.
However, video evidence confirmed he was aware of the issue and should have taken immediate action.
Qualifying 2 was subsequently delayed while marshals checked the track for possible oil.
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The official statement announcing Morbidelli’s penalty read:
“During Qualifying 1 session of the ESTRALLA GALICIA 0,0 GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN, you were observed (on video at Turn 9) to identify smoke emitting from your own machine and then continued on the racing line for the remainder of the lap into pit lane.
“This contravenes the specific instructions given to MotoGP competitors and teams, disrupting the session, and is considered irresponsible riding…
“It is noted that the Black Flag with Orange disc was not presented however the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel are of the opinion that the burden of responsibility remains with the rider in the event of encountering a technical problem.”
Morbidelli went on to claim a shock podium finish, from 18th on the grid, in the rain-interrupted Jerez Sprint race.
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Joan Mir was penalised for a similar offence after riding a damaged bike back to the pits in FP2.
However, the HRC rider received a stronger double long lap penalty for Sunday’s grand prix for ignoring black-and-orange flags.
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