MotoGP qualifying in Austin was marked by several incidents in which some riders disrupted another rider’s fast lap. The stewards launched investigations into several of these incidents, resulting in penalties that, it should be noted, will apply only to Sunday’s race and not to the Sprint.
Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini received a two-grid-position penalty for disrupting Marc Marquez during his fast lap.
Bezzecchi will therefore drop from 2nd to 4th position for the GP, meaning Bagnaia will be “promoted” to the front row and Acosta will move up to second place. Marini, on the other hand, will drop from 10th to 12th position, with Aldeguer starting 10th and Bastianini 11th.
This is the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
The Stewards decided to penalize the two riders with a two-position grid penalty rather than three because this is the first incident of its kind in which they have been involved.
