Should Fabio Quartararo have been disqualified from MotoGP’s Catalan Grand Prix?

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo found himself in an unusual predicament in the later stages of MotoGP’s Catalan Grand Prix as the zip to his leather race-suit became undone which saw the Frenchman bravely circulate the final laps of the race bare-chested. This begs the question, should have the Frenchman been shown the black flag?

The MotoGP rules and regulations state that he should have been disqualified.

Rule 2.6.5.2 states that “the equipment (including helmet, a one-piece leather suit, gloves, boots, a chest protector and a back protector) must be worn, correctly fastened, at all times during on-track activity.”

During the race, the Frenchman dashed his chest protector on the exit of turn three whilst chasing race leader Miguel Oliviera and continued to the chequered flag bare-chested with his metal chain necklace loosely flying in the wind.

The one thing MotoGP fans and pundits were furious with him about, is that at last week’s Italian Grand Prix young rider Jason Dupasquier was killed in a horrific accident, yet a week later Quartararo is racing at speeds of up to 300kph without sufficient protection.

BT Sport pundit and former MotoGP rider, Neil Hodgson, expressed his anger and disappointment following Sunday’s race:

“I’m so disappointed with the organisers. With what happened last weekend, it’s absolutely appalling and disrespectful. With what we’ve all experienced and went through last weekend – a death of a young rider. And then they’re going to allow a rider ride around a track at 200mph with his leathers open?… It’s appalling and disappointing!”

When quizzed on the incident after the race, Quartararo said “unfortunately, I can’t explain it… I have no idea what happened” before swiftly diverting the topic of conversation to race winner Oliviera’s rapid race pace.

Quartararo had became a likeable character in the MotoGP paddock with his charm, fantastic technique and amazing pace, however, many new-found fans of his may have lost some respect to the Frenchman.

How he was allowed to ride around putting his personal health and safety in danger is a discussion to be had by the MotoGP hierarchy.

The race stewards should’ve made him pull over to fasten up his suit or forced him to return to his Yamaha garage to either find sufficient replacement equipment or forcing the Frenchman to retire.

Earlier in the season, Alex Rins had been pulled over to remove a loose piece of marshalling equipment caught on the tail of his Suzuki machine – so why not Quartararo?

Quartararo was dealt an additional three-second time penalty for an infringement of the previously mentioned rule 2.6.5.2, which demoted him from fourth to sixth, however MotoGP fans are calling for heavier sanctions to fall on the Frenchman including fines, Championship points deductions, race bans, pit-lane starts alongside penalty points added to his race licence.

Joan Mir mentioned to race directors that the Yamaha rider had endangered himself and Mir’s fellow following riders as Quartararo carelessly threw away his chest protector.

Understandably, Quartararo may have wanted to continue with his race as he is in the thick of the fight for the riders’ title, but at what cost?

Had one of the Frenchman’s bare-chested and bold moves on Jack Miller or Johann Zarco gone wrong, sending him tumbling down the road at high speed, unimaginable things could have happened – luckily he didn’t crash and was able to finish the race in sixth place.

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