Jorge Lorenzo led a chorus of protest at the lenience of the punishment of just three penalty points. He pointed out than when he had made a similar move in 2005, “I had a one-race suspension."
“I have to respect the Race Direction decision, but I don’t share it,” he said.
The minimum appropriate punishment would be “for Valentino to have the same number of points as Marquez, who would have finished third or fourth in the race. He got no points, Valentino should get the same.”
One reason for the leniency was “his big name. I see less aggressive action from other riders getting higher penalties.”
Asked what Yamaha team’s policy was, Lorenzo said: “I don’t know what they decided, but I think they should claim fair punishment.”
His position was perhaps understandable: were Rossi to be stripped of his 16 points for this race, then Jorge would go to Valencia with a nine-point advantage instead of an eight-point deficit. “If Valentino wins this year, he will not be champion to me,” he said.
Second-placed Pedrosa has no such axe to grind, but shared the general opinion that Rossi’s action reflected badly on MotoGP in general – and that he had cut the post-race top-three press conference made it worse.
“He has many fans. A lot of people, and young riders, look up to him. Everyone makes mistakes. That’s why he should be here to answer questions.”
Race Direction’s decision had critics on both sides – mainly for its leniency, but also for the fact that it was delayed until after the race.
Veteran Italian racing management figure Carlo Pernat, the man who originally discovered Rossi for Aprilia, suggested that more usually an immediate punishment would be applied for any such obvious violation … a ride-through penalty, or a black-flag disqualification (a notion that had other riders nodding their heads).
Race director Mike Webb had answers for press-men in the paddock.
“We believe there was fault on both sides,” he said. “Despite what Marquez said, we think he was deliberately trying to affect the pace of Valentino.” This didn’t break rules, he continued, “Whatever we think about the spirit of the championship.”
Lorenzo leaves the podium abruptly, while Rossi was a no-show at the media conference
The decision was delayed until after the race because he wanted to be able to review all video footage thoroughly, and to hear from each rider.
Valentino’s final move, however, did break the rules, because it was “Irresponsible riding causing a crash”.
Penalties in general are at the discretion of Race Direction, and are taken case by case – an approach that inevitably seems inconsistent and to some riders unfair.
“The rules should be more like Formula One, where everybody knows exactly what penalties are,” said Pedrosa.