P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Franco Morbidelli penalised after continuing despite smoke from his Ducati in final MotoGP practice at Jerez.
Franco Morbidelli has been fined €1,000 and will miss the opening five minutes of practice at Le Mans for not responding to a technical issue during MotoGP qualifying at Jerez.
Despite significant smoke coming from his Ducati, Morbidelli continued back to the pits.
The FIM MotoGP Stewards acknowledged that Morbidelli wasn’t officially shown black-and-orange flags to stop, unlike Joan Mir.
Video evidence confirmed Morbidelli was aware of the issue but didn’t act promptly.
Qualifying 2 was postponed as marshals checked for oil on the track.
The official statement cited Morbidelli’s actions as irresponsible riding, as he disregarded specific instructions in the session.
Despite the penalty, Morbidelli achieved a surprising podium finish in the rain-shortened Jerez Sprint race.
