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Ducati rider Enea Bastianini admits that he ignored his Bacelona MotoGP penalty as a form of protest against the stewarding – and believes his team and management are behind his decision
Ducati MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini openly admitted to defying his penalty at the Catalan Grand Prix to protest against the stewarding, stating that his team and management supported his actions. Initially penalized with a long-lap penalty for cutting the track while battling Alex Marquez, Bastianini believed he should not be punished for being pushed off-track by Marquez rather than making a mistake. Consequently, he refused to serve the penalty, leading to a 32-second penalty at the finish line, dropping him out of the points. Bastianini explained that he had overtaken Marquez, who then pushed him off-track during braking, leaving him no choice but to cut the chicane and lose time by following the long-lap line. Despite acknowledging that his actions were not ideal, Bastianini felt compelled to take a stand against what he perceived as inconsistent steward decisions in every race. Following the race, Bastianini, along with Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi, met with the stewards to challenge the penalty, claiming the team supported his stance and understood the circumstances leading to his controversial decision.
