MotoGP Argentina: Riders urge consistency after divisive penalty calls

Riders have once again called on Dorna and the FIM to tighten up its procedures for the way it decides on penalties for irresponsible riding following a bruising start to the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season at Portimao.

The first MotoGP curtain raiser to take place on European soil since 2006, the Portuguese MotoGP also heralded the first-ever Saturday Sprint Race to prelude Sunday’s main full length GP.

With some riders airing concerns that the short length and a format awarding points to the top nine only would lead to aggressive riding, the inaugural Sprint Race was indeed a physical affair with five riders crashing out within the first three laps.

Among these was Enea Bastianini, who misses this weekend’s Argentinian MotoGP after suffering a broken shoulder blade in a collision with Luca Marini, while Joan Mir was punished for crashing while attempting to muscle his way through on Fabio Quartararo.

More controversy followed in the main GP when Marc Marquez got his braking wrong into Turn 3 on lap three, the Repsol Honda rider striking Jorge Martin’s Pramac Ducati before slamming into Miguel Oliveira with substantial force to put them out of the race.

While Oliveira escaped serious injury, Marquez - who will not race this weekend following surgery on his broken hand - copped a double long-lap penalty that he must serve upon returning to action.

For many though, the long lap penalty wasn’t a harsh enough penalty for Marquez, with a handful of riders - led by Aleix Espargaro - remarking the eight-time GP World Champion should have been banned for one race.

Ahead of this weekend’s second round at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, it is a view Pecco Bagnaia appears to concur with.

“I think we have to ask for a