Taiyo Furusato will start the Moto2 San Marino Grand Prix from the back of the grid after receiving a back-of-the-grid penalty from the FIM MotoGP Stewards. The Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider was penalized for exceeding the minimum lap time during qualifying at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Saturday.
Furusato was caught riding extremely slowly in multiple sectors during Q1, with sector times reaching 135 percent or more of his personal best. This was his third offense of the season, leading to the harshest penalty.
Arbolino and Huertas Lose Nine Places
Tony Arbolino and Adrian Huertas also fell foul of the slow riding rules during Q2. As it was their second offense of the season, each received a nine-place grid penalty. Interestingly, the official documents state that a second offense warrants a twelve-place drop, but the sanction section lists nine places.
Izan Guevara was given a six-place grid penalty for impeding Senna Agius at Turn 6 during Q2. Guevara was riding slowly on the racing line. This was his second offense. His teammate, Alberto Ferrandez, received a three-place penalty for impeding David Alonso at Turn 10. Ferrandez also crashed, causing Alonso to fail to set a time. As it was his first offense, the penalty was lighter.
Warnings for Escrig and Salac
Alex Escrig and Filip Salac escaped with official warnings. Both were found to be riding too slowly in several sectors, but as it was their first offense, they avoided grid penalties. Escrig's offense occurred in Q1, Salac's in Q2. These seven decisions significantly alter the starting grid for Sunday's race.
The 22-lap Moto2 race will begin at 12:15 local time on Sunday. The penalties will undoubtedly impact strategy and chances for the affected riders, especially those starting from the back. Furusato, for instance, faces an uphill battle to fight for a strong result.
Meanwhile, the Moto3 class also saw eight riders penalized, including Marcos Uriarte, Ryusei Yamanaka, and Zen Mitani. However, details of their penalties have not been fully disclosed. The stewards continue to enforce minimum speed rules to ensure safety and fairness.
With these penalties, the San Marino Grand Prix promises to be a thrilling affair. The penalized riders will need to deliver exceptional performances to minimize the damage from their grid positions.
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